Of Divine Instruments and Innocence
by Bamboofoxfire Productions
Summary: Allen Walker knew about Innocence, Akuma, and the Millenium Earl and Noah's family, but no one ever told him about Divine Instruments or that a God walked the earth. Turns out he has a lot to learn... CHAPTER 11 UP!
1. Radiant Light, Shiranui

**Authors Note:** Yay, My first official D Gray Man Fanfiction ever uploaded and I'm happy to say I'm the first(and so far the only) person to do a DGM Ookami crossover(why is it not in the crossover's section you ask? Because no one will check there, that's why. You can't fuel a good story without readers and reviewers :3 ). I think the hardest part was deciding where to introduce Amaterasu and Allen to each other before the main story took off, because I wanted them to have a brief meeting for a moment in the story but not have the others meet her just yet, BUT I finally decided and started writing this! I know I should be updating _Return of Yami_ and _Jinx of the Sphinx_ first but I had to write a paper to turn into my English teacher for a grade(Luckily he lets me do lots of free-writing stuff instead of always just the assignment) and I really wanted to start on this, so I decided to upload it since it was done, while _Jinx of the Sphinx_ Chapter 9 is still incomplete. Chapter 2 on this will be coming sometime soon since I've already written all of it and turned it into my teacher plus got it back from him *yay*

Anyway, I always saw some similarities between -Man and Ookami but when I actually tried to combine them, they fit together so well! It was like a puzzle that fit together almost perfectly. There'll be a lot more Ookami scene's than DGM scenes for a while though Allen and the others will still be in there most of the time, just in Nippon/Japan mainly. I already have most of the general story planned out(though the slower scenes are KILLING me in the planning) but I'm satisfied so far. :3 Hopefully I won't loose steam on this but I doubt I will too soon. But anyways...

**Disclaimer:** Ookami belongs to Capcom(and Clover Studio in my mind, even though they're long since disbanded), -Man belongs to Katsura Hoshino. Two great stories I wish were mine but aren't *sniffle* Oh well. All OC's belong to me unless otherwise specified.

Enjoy!

**.::**(text)**::. = **Flashback  
**.::**_(Italic Text)_**::. = **Dream/Talking(dream)  
**.::**_(Underlined Italic text)_**::. = **Thinking(dream)  
**.::**_(**Bolded Italic text**)_**::.** 14th Talking(dream)

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Of Divine Instruments and Innocence  
A D Gray Man & Ookami Crossover  
By: KitsuneHinote**

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**Chapter 1: Radiant Light, Shiranui**

**.::**The body of the teenager hit the ground with a thud, eyes wide as the electrical-looking energy around the other figure's hand dissipated, leaving little more than a stump where his deformed left arm had been no more than a few moments before. All he could do was look helplessly at it as it throbbed in pain.

"Did you know, boy?" The man standing close by spoke as he adjusted his white gloves that accompanied his black suit and white dress shirt underneath. He had dark gray skin and gold eyes, the black shapes of crosses seemed tattooed on his forehead. "We can destroy the Innocence. Both Noah's family and the Earl." The man said as he stepped toward the severed left arm with a small green cross in the reddish skin that lay just a yard or two away.

"Stop…" The boy said weakly.

"All of the Innocence I stole from the dead has already been destroyed. If any of the ones I destroyed was the 'Heart', all of the Innocence you guys have would have been wiped out. That's the sign that it was the right one." He continued as butterfly-like figures fluttered around him noiselessly. "I wonder what your Innocence is, boy." He paused, looking at the teenager before pointing to a glowing green gem surrounded by two metal rings beside the boy. "That over there…that's Suman's Innocence, isn't it? If Suman's Innocence destroys itself when I demolish your Innocence, it means that yours was the 'Heart', boy." He said before a long, sadistic grin crossed his face, a look that was purely inhuman.

The boy's eyes widened as the man placed his hand to the detached arm, blue lightning wrapping over it and crackling.

"Oops!"

"STOOOP!!" The boy cried as the arm shredded apart and the green cross was pulled into the man's hand. All it took was for the dark skinned man to crush it in his palm and the green cross was no more, turned to dust that poured from the man's gloved hand. He looked at the glowing green gem beside the boy, but it still glowed as strongly as ever.

"What? I was wrong?" He thought aloud. "Oh well. My current job is to assassinate all of the important people anyway." He said casually as he stepped toward the boy.

"_De~lete~_" A tiny voice howled from a card-sized cage floating next to him.

"Okay, okay." The boy's mind quickly raced before he came to a swift conclusion.

"Run, Tim…" He said, speaking to a gold spherical creature with a cross on its face, tiny legs, horns, feathered wings, and a long, skinny tail that ended in a tuft of fur. "Take Suman's Innocence and run. Go." He said without turning his head to look at the small creature, who shook its whole body as if to say 'no', reluctant to leave its master.

"If you don't go, everyone will be unable to go look for Master. You must go." He reasoned. After a moment the gold Golm opened its jaws, swallowing the green gem and quickly darting away into the sky, making the dark-skinned man blink in surprise.

"Woah. Well that was a wise decision." He admired, the gold Golm now only a speck in the night sky and growing farther away with every second that passed.

"Thank you, Tim…" The boy mumbled weakly. It was a few minutes before the man crouched next to the boy, a very large butterfly-like creature with a small human-like skull and sharp teeth in his palm that he held near the boy's chest.

"Just make a hole in his heart, 'Tease'. It's better if this brave fellow is given a bit more time before he dies. He will die as he agonizes over the fear invading his body, as blood pours from his heart." The boy jerked violently as he felt a sharp pain through his chest, spurting blood as his mouth opened in a silent scream of agony. A wide grin crossed the man's lips as he pulled the top silver button off the boy's black uniform. On the back of the button was carved the name 'Allen Walker'.

Something peeking out of the boy's jacket caught the man's attention, a deck of cards neatly tied together by a small string. The man smiled in remembrance as he picked up the deck and pulled the string off. It was the same deck of cards he'd given him months ago on a train after the boy had beaten him in Poker. He smirked and let the cards fall loosely over the boy's body.

"…Have a nice dream, boy."

The boy listened as the man's footsteps grew fainter until he heard nothing but silence, darkness beginning to swallow up his vision, but his attention wasn't on the receding man or the following quiet. It wasn't even on the near unbearable pain in his chest. His steel colored eyes were set on a strange figure looking at him from afar, glowing radiantly in the darkness. It was only a few moments before the figure crept closer, a wolf with a coat whiter and more pure than fresh snow, prominent crimson markings along its face and sides, wing like appendages protruding from its shoulders and paws. His eyes noticed the cerulean claws as the lupine stopped in front of him, a nose sniffing him lightly before a whimper escaped the muzzle of the white wolf.

"Geez, what a mess… I know ya wanna help, Ammy, but I don't think there's anything you can do…" A miniscule voice broke the silence. After a moment, the boy heard the tiny voice again. "I know what you wanna do, but Rejuvenation doesn't work that way…" There was a pause before the voice added, "Holy Bones only heal _you_. I wanna help too, but this is way beyond me."

The boy weakly looked up, the wolf watching him almost expectantly. After a moment he lifted his remaining hand, stroking the wolf's head slowly, earning another whimper and a soft nuzzle. The boy noticed a soft green glow surrounding a small bug-sized figure on the wolf's head. Seeing it, he got the impression it was looking at him almost anxiously just like the wolf. When he looked back at the wolf, his eyes locked with its golden hues. They were radiant gold eyes that seemed so alive and ancient, as if all the knowledge and wisdom of the world was locked within them, an understanding beyond anything of mere human or beast. He felt trapped in those yellow depths for a long time. He even felt…warm and…_safe_. After what seemed an eternity, those eyes were no longer locked with his, the wolf figure loping away until its radiant glow was no longer visible and darkness swam into his vision.**::.**

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**.::**_The boy looked up weakly as his remaining hand reached towards the crescent moon that seemed so close and the black, cloudless sky, no longer covered by a forest of bamboo. He didn't know this place, it wasn't the same place as before, but all the same he barely noticed. All he noticed right now was the radiant moon._

'_The Moon…it looks so large.'__ He thought. __'No. Don't come near me…I'm still…still…' __He could feel the waves of cold and numbness, like he needed to escape from somewhere, like he was being released from something…_

_He knew what this feeling was, what was happening._

_He stood, looking around at the old stone road and black night sky before looking down at the lake in front of him, a black moon reflected on its surface._

'_Where…am I…?'__ His gaze went back to the sky, his pain seeming to be gone. __'A large white moon… A world unlike reality…'__ He looked back down. __'Did I die and go to the Afterlife…?'__ He looked up at the moon for a long moment before looking back down to the water. __'Huh? The moon in the sky is white… but the moon reflected on the water's surface is black.'_

_He leaned over the edge, the shapes of ruins and old stone structures visible in the water like a reflection without a source. The tall arch's and stone structure seemed so familiar, like he was seeing his 'world' in ruins. He looked to the highest point of the ruins where a figure sat._

_The figure was a teenage girl with black hair, her face cupped in her hands as a figure in a black and silver uniform not unlike his own lay with their head on her lap._

'_That's…Lenalee?! Why…? This isn't the Afterlife…?' __He thought. __'Those ruins…why is Lenalee the only one over there…?' __His face became sad as tears streamed down her face and she seemed to cry. 'I have to go… I have to go to her…' He thought as he reached towards the water. A black hand shot out and grabbed his hand, catching him off-guard._

"_**You can't…**__" Came an unknown voice as ice seemed to speed across the lake._

"_The water's freezing over…?!" The boy cried as ice covered the picture of the girl, Lenalee, and the ruins. "Lenalee…!! Damn it, let go!!!" He demanded._

"_**Can't…**__" The black human shape repeated as ice began to form over it._

'_Who…are you…?__' He thought as he looked at the black shape with opague, white facial features that were nothing more than white circles for eyes and a wide crescent of a mouth set in a wide smile. It was a moment later he whipped around, gasping in awe at the radiance of a wolf shape that regarded him steadily. He relaxed a moment, seeming to have forgotten the black figure that had a hold on his arm._

"_You…" At his voice the wolf blinked, shifting its weight from one side to the other. The boy held his breath a moment, his gray-blue eyes meeting gold once more. He subconsciously took a step toward it but the hand held fast, making the boy try and pull away with a growl. "Let go!" He snarled, looking back at the wolf to make sure it was still there. Its ears perked and a paw was placed forward, but a voice stopped it._

"_Not yet, ma cherie." The boy and the wolf looked to a figure a little ways behind the wolf, but the boy could not make out what the person looked like. Their back was turned to them, and even when they turned their head slightly, it wasn't enough to see the male's face. "Just as you have your own path, he has his, oui, Amaterasu?" The wolf seemed to sigh and followed the other man slowly._

"_Wait!!" The boy cried before he felt another tug at his arm._

"_**Can't…**__" The black figure said again, the last of the water started to freeze over, the figure barely visible anymore except its arm and wide smile. The hand suddenly let go, and everything was gone._**::.**

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Steel-blue eyes shot open as the teenager jolted up in his bed, gaping stupidly for a moment before looking at a blond man with his hair braided who looked at him questioningly.

"Something wrong, Walker?" He asked seriously.

"No, I just had a…weird dream is all." The boy sweat dropped. The man raised a brow in question.

"Was it a dream about the '14th'?" He asked curiously. The boy thought a moment but shook his head slowely.

"No…well…" He seemed confused a moment before speaking again. "…kinda. It was more like a memory…from back when Tyki Mikk, one of the Noah's, tried to destroy my anti-akuma weapon." He said thoughtfully.

"I'm familiar with the report." The blond man said casually. It was a moment later that a knock came to the door, making both male's turn their heads.

"Allen?" It was only a moment later that a Chinese girl with short black hair opened the door.

"What is it, Lenalee?" The boy greeted with a radiant smile.

"Leverrier wanted you and Inspector Link in his office as soon as possible. It's about a mission." She said with a bright smile in return.

"Oh, alright." The teenage boy replied cheerily.

"I'll report to Leverrier now. Make sure to hurry up, Walker." Link, the blond, said as he exited the room with a folder of papers neatly tucked under one arm. After a brief stretch, the boy got out of bed and went to the mirror, quickly brushing his hair. He was a fifteen year old with grayish-white hair. On his forehead was a red upside-down star and from one tip trailed a thin scar over his left eye. His left arm was a dark gray color with black markings on his shoulder.

He set the brush down and went to pick up a black and red uniform where his gold Golm slept. The creature perked and fluttered off the clothes, the young male quickly getting dressed and trotting out of his room and towards the Science Division. When he reached it, he noted the room had quite a crowd. At a desk stacked with papers was a Chinese man with glasses, long black hair, and a white uniform and barrette named Kamui Lee.

Standing next to him and the desk was a tall man with short black hair, a black mustache, and narrow, piercing eyes. He generally looked like some taller version of Hitler or something. His name was Leverrier. Next to him stood Howard Link.

On the couch in front of Kamui's desk was a redhead with his wild hair hanging over a green bandana and an eye-path over his right eye. He was the would-be successor to a man who simply went by 'Bookman', who recorded the hidden history of the world to be passed on and recorded to future members of the Bookman clan. Most people didn't even know they existed.

Next to the redhead, who's name was Lavi, was a Japanese male with a seemingly eternal stern, cold expression. His raven black hair was tied into a ponytail and his midnight blue eyes looked around with an air of minimal caring or interest. He was named Yuu Kanda, though anyone who called him by his first name pretty much had a death wish. The only ones who got away with it were Kanda's teacher, General Tiedol, and Lavi, only because the junior Bookman could run very fast. Next to Lavi sat Lenalee, and standing behind the couch was a taller male with black and white hair like a skunk and pointed ears named Aleister Krory the Third.

The white haired boy, Allen, looked around at everyone curiously.

"Nice of you to join us, Allen Walker." Leverrier greeted with a crocodile smile.

"I heard I was wanted for a mission." Allen said, not giving much attention to Leverrier emotionally.

"We were just about to discuss that." Leverrier responded coolly.

"Your mission is in Japan." Kamui said, taking over for Leverrier. "We are sending you, Lavi, Kanda, Lenalee, Krory, and Inspector Link." Allen raised a brow in question.

"Why so many people?" He questioned curiously.

"This is a special assignment so we need to send stronger, more experienced exorcists, and we can't afford to send out any more of our General's right now." Leverrier said bluntly.

"There's a high possibility you'll encounter more than one, or even two, level four Akuma. Your mission is to retrieve something known as a Divine Instrument." Kamui clarified. "The Earl and Noah's family are going to a lot of trouble to see it destroyed, and it would be a great asset to us."

"Okay, but what's a 'Divine Instrument'?" Allen ventured.

"You don't need to know the details of what it is, just that it is a necessity to retrieve it." Leverrier broke in sharply. "When you've found it, it is to be brought directly to me." Everyone was silent a long moment before Lavi broke the silence.

"So how do we find it? Do we know what it looks like?" The inquisitive Bookman-to-be ventured.

"Go to Edo where someone from the Asian Branch will be waiting. From there they will take you to meet someone who can lead you to the Divine Instrument. You're to retrieve it at all costs." Kamui explained. "And you are to leave immediately.

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Allen stepped through the glowing doorway first, followed by Link, Kanda, Lenalee, Krory, Lavi, and an old man. Around them stood a forest of healthy trees and near bye, a large valley. The white-haired exorcist looked around curiously, blinking in wonder.

"I wonder where this person is…" Allen thought aloud as they started to walk. He turned to look ahead and was startled to come face-to-upside-down-face with a boy of about ten years, jumping in surprise.

"You must be the exorcists." He said as he hung from a tree branch by one foot. He was a Japanese boy with wild brown hair that spiked in all directions haphazardly. "I've been waiting for you. Lenalee Lee and Yuu Kanda have already met me before, I'm here to lead you to the Divine Instrument." He said, still hanging upside down as Kanda twitched angrily when the kid spoke his first name.

"Oh, hey. I'm Allen Walker. You have a name?"

"Tch', course I got a name, but you don't need to know it. Just call me 'Tanuki'. I already know all of you. The old-man-hair is Allen Walker, the skunk haired _creampuff_ is Aleister Krory, the eye-patch guy is Lavi junior Bookman, and the wrinkly Panda-eyes goes by Bookman." He listed.

"Don't call me an old panda!" Bookman barked. He was an old man who was mostly bald except for a ponytail in the back and large black spots around his eyes that gave him a vague panda-faced appearance.

"Cream…puff…?" Krory whimpered.

"_Che_…just show us where to find the Divine Instrument already." Kanda grunted, already hoping to get the mission over with and get away from the others, specifically Allen and Lavi.

"_Well…_" The boy frowned slightly as he dropped from his perch, readily catching himself and standing, folding his hands behind his head. "I don't actually know where it is." He admitted.

"What?" Kanda growled, narrowing his eyes dangerously.

"_But_… I know who does." He added forcibly. With that, he spun on his heel and began to walk, the exorcists exchanging a glance before following, Kanda '_che_'ing and muttering something incoherent.

"So who's this person?" Lavi inquired.

"_Baka_, she isn't a human." He said, sending all of them on alert. Not human? Was it an Akuma? A Noah? "She's a wood sprite." They all sweat dropped, save for Kanda, Link, and Bookman, seeming to think the kid had too large of an imagination.

"Would this wood sprite happen to go by the name of 'Sakuya'?" Bookman asked from near the back of the group.

"Yup, that's right." Tanuki confirmed. Almost everyone looked at Bookman.

"Wait, so does that mean she's really a wood sprite, Gramps?" Lavi voiced everyone's thoughts.

"That's right, although I've never had the pleasure of meeting her myself… I have read a series of scrolls from this land. They were written by an artist who recounted many of his life experiences. Among them was a legend about a demon who was slain by a hero and a God because the demon was plaguing a small village, which had a special sapling planted in it, and in the sapling there lived a sprite." He recounted.

"That sapling's all grown up now." Tanuki added. "A lot's changed in the last hundred years."

"'Last hundred years'?" Allen questioned.

"Yup. 'The Legend of Orochi', the one with the demon, the hero, and the God. That's what the story's called. The legend is from one-hundred years ago."

"_Che_… probably just a stupid fairytale." Kanda snorted. The boy stopped and put his fingers to his mouth before letting out a shrill whistle followed by a long silence. After a few moments, Krory leaned towards Allen slightly.

"What are we waiting for?"

"You got me." Allen said with a shrug. It was a moment later they saw a flash of movement approaching. Lavi's hand hovered over the hammer in one pocket while Kanda's hand went to the hilt of his katana.

"Is it an Akuma?" Lenalee asked warily.

"I don't think so." Allen reported, noting his left eye wasn't activated. After a few tense moments a dark gray dog with a white underbelly and black stripes appeared, skidding to a stop by Tanuki with an elated bark and furious tail wag. Tanuki chuckled and quickly petted the dog.

"This is my dog, Kuma-Kira. He's the best dog this side of the world." He boasted. "Take us to Kamiki Village, Kuma-Kira!" Tanuki commanded, pointing ahead. The dog looked at him before turning and loping ahead, the others following quickly.

"We're relying on a dumb dog to find this place?" Kanda complained in a growl. Kuma-Kira stopped and looked back with a growl to show he'd understood every word before continuing on. It was a while before the forest opened into a large plain, the group gasping or looking on in awe and shock. Even Kanda was unprepared for the sight. Overtaking most of the landscape was a shifting mass of black and red that choked off all life and leaving little more than gray and black wasteland.

"What…is it…?" Allen gasped.

"We call it the Cursed Zone. It happens when a demonic influence destroys the life of the land until there's nothing left, but normally, it isn't on such a large scale, especially because the wood sprite and the Sacred Tree protect this land." Tanuki explained sorrowfully.

"Did something happen to the tree?" Bookman ventured as they noted a withered looking cherry tree near bye. Tanuki shook his head.

"No, the tree is alright, I think, but there are other trees that help protect this land too, offshoots of the Sacred Tree." He said, pointing out the withered tree below. "Anyway, we should get to the village." Tanuki said, leading the way to the cliff-side before he cautiously started down, his canine still leading.

When they'd reached the bottom, Tanuki led them through a wood gate and a narrow path surrounded by small cliffs. Two large metal rings with glass lenses appeared over Allen's left eye, turning against each other like clockwork gears.

"Akuma!" He snarled, everyone immediately on alert. The group ran forward, Allen summoning his anti-Akuma weapon first, white cloak flowing behind him. Lenalee leapt ahead of him, her legs covered in dark metal boots. Behind Allen, Kanda drew his katana and Lavi pulled out his small black hammer that quickly increased in size.

They came to a small grassy village, a river running through it and small huts sitting on the opposite side of the village except for one house. Next to the river was a small building with a water wheel and a red bridge connected the two sides of the river.

They quickly noticed a flying human-like creature with small wings and glowing rings over its head like a pair of halo's, the figure floating toward a hunched over old man with a cane.

Before the flying creature could do anything, Lenalee jumped in, grabbing the old man around one arm and springing away in a blink. The man gave a cry of fear and surprise before being gently set down. The old man quickly collected himself, looking at Lenalee, and the others as they rushed by.

"Who are you people?" He asked warily.

"We're here to find something, but first we have to deal with that monster there. Get somewhere safe." Lenalee instructed before jumping into the air. Allen quickly slashed at the human-shaped Akuma with his claw, barely missing as the Akuma noticed and flew out of the way, smiling demonically.

"Oh-ho~ The Earl was right! You exorcists did come!" The level four cried gleefully. Allen and the others growled and tensed warily as two more level fours appeared, cackling darkly.

"Come, come, exorcists! Let's have some fun~. "

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**A/N(2):** Yay for cliffhangers!(BTW, I have a bad habit of doing cliffhangers, so YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED) I loved writing this SOOO much, so I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I did. I'll work on writing Chapter 3 this weekend and hopefully within the next week or two it might be posted, but again, I REEEAAALLY need to work on _Jinx of the Sphinx_ since I've delayed finishing it so F*ing long and no doubt disapointed a few of my readers. Also, I don't have a beta so tell me about any mistakes you find, maybe? Offers for beta's would be nice I guess but I like to upload chapters as soon as I get them written... Like it? Love it? Hate it? Please leave a review! Bad things happen when you don't leave a review...

Until next time! ~Kit


	2. Destruction and Decision

**Authors Note:** OMG you mean I updated this BEFORE I did _Jinx of the Sphinx_??!?!? Yes...I did... *is shot for being a horrible author*

Anyway, I did this first because, again, this was done for school and school comes first =.= BUT I'm happy with the results, and not even a single favorite or review???? That's just depressing.... I think this is the first time I've actually written a fight scene and I was quite happy with it dispite myself 83 Took like... five pages on paper and four in Word, so yay! I hope it doesn't seem to drawn out or anything but that seemed to KINDA be the point... I dunno... But seeing as the story isn't all JUST about Allen and the others, I included a few good ol' slow scenes with Himiko and Waka too... Yay for Waka! His first real scene! Waka will have quite a few scenes in the earlier chapters, probably not as much in the later chapters... This'll probably be a bit of a longer story for me that I will probably(hopefully) be working on a lot! That means updates galore!

**Disclaimer:**I do not own D Gray Man or Ookami. D gray man belongs to Katsura Hoshino, and Ookami to Capcom and Clover studio(even if they were disbanded *sniffle*). All OC's belong to **ME** unless otherwise specified. Now enjoy!

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**Of Divine Instruments and Innocence  
A D Gray Man & Ookami Crossover  
By: KitsuneHinote**

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**Chapter 2: Destruction and Decision**

Allen gave a growl before clasping his left wrist, the limb quickly transforming into a large white sword with a black cross shape on the surface. The level four cackled almost childishly at him.

"Oh~~ so that's the sword that Earl-tama warned us about~" Kanda cast a glare at Allen, his sword glowing a radiant blue.

"You'd better not screw up, Moyashi." He growled almost venomously, recalling the incident at the orphanage with the level four and Allen's currently hidden scar from Crown Clown. Allen spared a glance at the swordsman.

"That's 'Allen' to you, Bakanda!" Allen retorted before he leapt towards the level fours, the edge of his blade, Crown Clown, swiping at the level four in the center. The Akuma grabbed the blade with one hand, stopping it in mid-air and catching Allen by surprise.

"Heehee~ nice try, exorcist!" The level four cheered before striking at the albino's side with sharp claws, catching the stunned exorcist off guard. Allen gave a grunt of pain before crashing into a hard rock wall, seeming stuck there a moment before plummeting into a large pond of water that fed the village river.

The Akuma giggled in satisfaction but then its attention quickly left the male teenager and went back to Lenalee as she rocketed towards the Level Fours with her dark boots, lashing out at the Akuma. This time one of the other level fours jumped in, twirling like a top. Lenalee and the Akuma struck at each other, pushing each other back as their attack's collided. The level four came out of its spin and hovered near the other Akuma while Lenalee landed on the roof of the building with the water wheel.

Allen choked slightly as water filled his lungs, trying to move his body as he drifted under the water. It wasn't bad enough being thrown into the side of a cliff and had the wind knocked out of him, he had to land in the water, too. He noted a sudden pull on his arm before suddenly resurfacing, Link paddling to the bank with Allen's arm over his shoulder to keep him from sinking again. The boy sputtered violently, coughing up water before he felt solid earth and grass beneath him again.

"That was reckless." Link grunted, huffing slightly.

"Sorry, I underestimated it." Allen apologized as he inhaled sharply. Luckily Crown Clown had protected him from the full force of the attack, his side unscathed but a bit sore.

Lenalee pushed off the roof, striking at the clawed level four, the Akuma sending her back as it parried her attack. Lenalee landed on the ground, the spinning Akuma shooting toward her. Just a second before the Akuma could hit, she jumped high into the air, Lavi a few feet behind her former position as he swung hard at the twirling demon, forcibly pushing it around and into the rock wall behind him. Bits of rock and dust chipped off as the Akuma hit it, still twirling and tearing a gash in the cliff before rebounding and sailing into the air.

Lenalee was ready and quickly twirled around counter-clockwise, kicking it back towards Lavi who swung at it readily again, launching it towards the clawed level four.

It moved out of the way before glaring slightly as its spinning alley came to a stop.

"Hey, watch it!"

"Teehee~ sorry!" The spinning level four shrugged innocently. Lavi held his hammer back, ready to swing at any moment as Lenalee landed next to him.

"This oughtta be fun." Lavi commented off handedly. His inquisitive eye noted that Allen had recovered now and was preparing to strike. The silver-haired exorcist leapt at the clawed level four, his blade parried by white claws. The level four quickly registered movement behind it and dodged red claws as they slashed by, Krory landing next to Allen, his hair spiked up wildly at his activated Innocence.

"Huhu~ nice try, exorcist! Come, show me what else you can do!" The Akuma jeered. Allen and Krory wasted no time in attacking without comment, Allen swinging his Crown Clown while Krory tried to take a chunk out of the demon's side. The spinning Akuma giggled and twirled rapidly toward Lenalee and Lavi, making the junior Bookman smirk.

"They just keep coming back!" He commented, preparing his next attack while Lenalee rushed forward to meet the attack, pushing the rotating enemy back with some difficulty. A ring of symbols appeared around Lavi's hammer before he stamped his hammer on one symbol.

"Fire seal!" He cried as he slammed the flat face of the hammer onto the ground, a large ring of flame spreading across the ground before it became a fiery serpent that pursued the Akuma. Using the rock wall, the Akuma quickly dodged, spinning towards one of the buildings in the village. Kanda leapt off the edge of the roof and struck at the demon with Mugen, the glowing katana sending the level four into the flames with a strong blow.

"It's about time you joined the fight, Yuu~!" Lavi jibed as he rested Iron Hammer over his shoulder. The samurai glared fiercely at him, a vein along his forehead bulging in anger.

"Shut it, Baka Usagi!" Kanda snarled. The spinning Akuma gave a shriek and shot out of the flames, shooting between Allen and Krory, barely missing as the two moved away quickly in surprise. Still spinning, it crashed into the water to douse the flames before coming up again.

"You burnt my perfect body, exorcists!" The demon snarled maliciously. "Now I'm angry, angry, angry!" Kanda only sniffed contemptibly.

"_Che_…shut up and fight." He grunted. The Akuma gave an angry caterwaul and spun around like a top, shooting toward them faster then before, making the junior Bookman yelp in surprise and quickly backpedal to avoid injury. Even Kanda moved to keep from getting hit, not too sure whether or not he'd regret taking that blow. A trail of torn ground lay where the Akuma had traveled as it started to turn in a wide circle to attack again, tearing through the soil of a small turnip field. Lenalee sailed above the Akuma, coming down to crash her Dark Boots on top of the Akuma, pushing the demon into the ground as it spun, throwing dirt in all directions and shredding two or three turnips while others were buried. The two pushed back and forth for a moment before the Akuma ultimately won out. With a small gasp Lenalee was thrown skyward, narily avoiding injury by using the rock wall behind her to spring away from the level fours attack.

Allen and Krory continued their assaults against the clawed Akuma, the demon backing up with each attack. The two exorcists attacked from opposite sides in a pinscher movement, Allen's Crown Clown making a cut over the Akuma's arm while Krory's claws bit into its side.

"Oh~ That actually stung a bit~!" The level four grinned. Allen landed on a ledge above the pond while Krory landed on the roof of a house.

"This Akuma is beginning to annoy me." Krory growled through his sharp teeth. The third level four who had been hovering over the village quietly sighed and floated down slightly. It caught quite a bit of attention from the exorcists, almost to the point of being overly acquired.

"This is taking too long. Now its my turn." The Akuma said with a hint of impatience, inhaling deeply and seeming to expand slightly before spewing forth a large gray cloud that rushed outward. Lavi noticed the spinning level four make a hasty retreat before Kanda 'che'ed and jumped towards the cloud, bent on passing through the mass of gray and strike down the Akuma. As soon as Kanda made contact with the cloud it ignited into a massive blast, making the others gape in shock and surprise. Kanda hit the ground with a hard _THUD_ and grimaced in pain.

Lavi cursed under his breath as they cloud kept coming, quickly grabbing Kanda with one arm and the handle of Iron Hammer with the other. In a second the handle grew longer and shot them up into the air above the smoke and onto a cliff above the village, the junior Bookman releasing Kanda before the samurai could think of using Mugen against him in annoyance. Lenalee quickly kicked the air with her Dark Boots, creating some wind to keep the smoke away from the houses.

As it touched the trees and ground it ignited, scorching the ground and leaving it scarred and dead. The last of it cleared, much of the landscape in ruin though the houses were generally untouched. Allen silently breathed a sigh of relief once he saw that the houses were safe before looking back at the Akuma with a growl. The cloud-breather sighed and crossed its arms.

"I guess I missed. Oh well…" It said as it started to float back up. Allen jumped after it but the clawed one went for him, bringing its claws down towards his head. Allen quickly blocked with the flat of his sword in time but the demon's other claws smashed into his stomach. The teenager gave an exasperated cry of pain and crashed through the roof of the water wheel building.

After a moment he pushed pieces of broken wood off, gripping his stomach as he grimaced, his sword returned to an arm. He shook his head to clear it, a little dazed before he noticed a slender Japanese woman with shoulder-length black hair and dressed in a red and gold kimono. She shivered slightly in fear, her long sleeves raised partway over her face. The cloud-breathing Akuma hovered over the hole in the roof now.

"Please just die, exorcist." The Akuma said lamely before breathing out more gray clouds. Allen gasped and went for the woman, quickly pulling Crown Clown's white cloak around the both of them. The inside of the small building exploded in a furry of fire before it dissipated.

Allen straightened up slightly and smiled reassuringly at the cowering young woman.

"_Are you alright?"_ He asked in Japanese. After a moment she looked up and slowly nodded. _"You need to get somewhere safer than here."_ He instructed gently. She nodded again and Allen was already jumping back into battle. He lunged at the cloud-breathing Akuma with his claws, barely missing as it quickly flew higher.

Without pausing he turned and jumped after them in pursuit, slashing with his Edge but missing again.

"You won't escape!" Allen snarled. He slashed at the Akuma once more with his Clown Edge, ribbony tendrils from his cloak pulling him skyward. When his claws missed, the Akuma quickly grasped Allen's head by his silver hair, throwing him into the cliff side before pulling him away and flinging him into Krory as the exorcist moved to strike, both crashing into the ground.

* * *

Wax candles created a bit of a musty scent, flickering along the walls of the large wood room. A long forest green carpet with gold trim ran down the length of the wood room to a hanging bamboo veil. On one side of the veil was a middle aged Japanese woman. She wore a white kimono woven from fine silk covered by dark blue and red robes. Her face was pale, almost white, her eyelids accented with red. Around her back and arms was a gold semitransparent silk cloth and on her head over waist-long black hair was a red wood structure like a crown, a kanmuri, flames flickering up from a fire red sphere held by the kanmuri's walls. In her hands she held a small wand, the end of a branch from a Sakaki tree.

In front of her floated a large crystal sphere surrounded by a silk gold cloth and large rosary beads. The woman heard footsteps but did not turn, eyes fixed on the crystal sphere.

"You sent for me, Queen Himiko?"

She turned her head slightly, noting the human figure on the opposite side of the veil.

"Yes. Please, travel to Ankoku Temple and get Priestess Rao."

"Yes, my Queen." The man seemed to bow on the other side.

"Also," Queen Himiko began as he started to leave. "Send for Captain Waka of the Tao Troopers. Do so immediately." The man bowed again and left as Himiko turned back to the Crystal Ball, the images of destroyed land and several strange people wearing black and red on its shiny surface. Her thin hand ran over the front of it thoughtfully.

"The tides have changed so suddenly… where have these ripples in destiny come from?" She thought aloud, a sorrowful expression across her face. "Where are you, Mother Amaterasu?"

* * *

A black haired woman followed a city soldier dressed in a reddish-orange hakama, a quiver of arrows and a bow latched to his back. The woman had a light blue hooded cloth that ended at the shoulders where her purple and gold kimono began, sea-green glass beads strung around her neck and a gold obi around her waist. Her large chest showed slightly through the top of her kimono, the woman stepping quickly after the soldier as they entered Queen Himiko's quarters. The soldier bowed and left quickly as they black-haired woman approached the veil.

"You sent for me, Queen Himiko?" The woman inquired. She sounded a bit drained from several busy days of helping out the citizen's of Ryoshima Coast and the capital, but resilient none the less.

"I did." Himiko replied. There was a moment of silence before the woman raised a brow.

"About…?" She prompted.

"Hold on. Captain Waka should be here shortly." Himiko said. The other woman huffed with slight impatience.

"Great…we'll probably be here a while."

"Do you really have such little faith in me, ma cherie?" A male voice spoke up. It belonged to a seemingly young man with blond hair tucked neatly under a teal hawk helmet and unusually pale skin. A long white cloth with peach-pink tips came from the bottom of the hat. The top of his hakama was cherry blossom pink over a darker pink one, his pants a dark purple. At his side was a katana with a white handle and gold guard in a black sheath, and the man himself stood on tall red sandles that were close to a foot tall to make up for his otherwise shorter stature.

"When it comes to your travel and arrival times, perhaps." The woman responded.

"There are always places to be and things to do. I can't say you are much better, Priestess." The man retorted patiently.

"I didn't send for either of you two to spend time talking idly." Himiko interrupted as the veil lifted, the empress facing them now.

"Tres bien. This is about Orochi and Amaterasu, oui?" The man asked with a bit of a French accent.

"You don't need to hear it from me, as you already know, do you not, Captain Waka?" Himiko pointed out coolly, noting the man dip his head slightly in confirmation. Himiko made a hand motion forward, the Crystal Ball floating forward so they could see better.

"A group of travelers appeared near Edo not long ago who were led to Kamiki Village where they began fighting a few strong demons. They are not ordinary people. I request that you go to meet them on my behalf, Rao." The Priestess sighed, looking down a moment in thought.

"Alright, but I'll need to make preparations first. Especially with eastern Nippon covered in Cursed Zones." She replied finally. Himiko nodded in acceptance and looked to the blond man.

"Captain Waka, you're to find out what is going on at the Moon Cave and report it to me. If at all possible, also find out the state of the land and the progress of the Curse Zones." She instructed.

"And if the Cursed Zones are worsening?" Waka ventured.

"If it gets too close to Ryoshima Coast or past the city checkpoint, we may have to intervene." Himiko said almost sorrowfully.

"If at all possible, I'd like to leave that to Amaterasu for the most part. After all, it is her destiny, not mine." He consented, catching a small look of hope on her face.

"I will go prepare to leave immediately. Excuse me, Queen Himiko." Rao said with a bow before exiting the room. Both Waka and Himiko watched her leave before the empress looked back at the Tao Master.

"Have you really had no visions about whether or not Amaterasu will return, Waka?" Himiko asked carefully.

"I'm afraid not, but I'm confident she will return to us soon. This _is_ Amaterasu we are talking about, is it not?" Himiko nodded slightly.

"I just hope it will not be too late when she returns. Many lives depend on it." She sighed.

"_Inpedendamment de sera, sera_. Relax. Methinks you're thinking to hard on this." Waka said in a slightly teasing manner.

"You're probably right…" Himiko sighed. "…but time is quickly changing. Things that I saw in the future are distorting, and events that were never meant to be are happening in place of what I saw. Amaterasu was never meant to disappear, especially with _that_ demon's resurrection so close." Waka frowned slightly.

"Oui, this odd change has me a little unnerved as well I admit, but I trust destiny will show us her plans soon enough. The darkness can't hold out forever, nor can it win." He said confidently.

"Yes, but time runs thin. I will travel to North Ryoshima Coast and speak with the King and Queen of the Dragonians. Perhaps they can help us find Amaterasu." Himiko decided.

"Then I will hurry to the Moon Cave and find out what Big-and-scaly is up to." Waka said before waving goodbye. "Au revoir." In a flash of light the blond man disappeared, leaving Himiko by herself.

* * *

The smell of salt water brushed by Himiko's black hair and pale skin. Several soldiers stood nearby, fully alert to any possible danger. Himiko perked as a pair of large, serpent bodies and fins breached the water's surface. The pair of large serpents rose out of the water, huge fangs and scaly bodies unnerving many of the soldiers. In a flash the large beasts had become a man and a woman.

The man was fat and dressed in dark purple robes, his face outlined by a black mustache, beard, and his crown. The woman was every bit as small and graceful as Himiko, her black hair tied back in a bun rather than loose. She wore a seafoam green kimono and a deep blue and red obi. Both had fins going down from the top of their heads and down their backs, the fins starting as a deep blue and faintly turning to red at the edges.

"We received your request, Queen Himiko." The man said as each side bowed respectfully.

"It is good to see you each so well, King Wada, Queen Otohime." Himiko greeted.

"Likewise. What is on your mind? It must be urgent if you had to contact us through the Dragon Orb." Otohime asked curiously. Himiko nodded and brushed a strand of hair from her face.

"I fear it may be." Himiko agreed. "When Cursed Zones began to spread, I sensed a powerful presence in Kamiki Village, a radiant energy that could only belong to the legendary Shiranui. Ever since, I have not felt it, and even Captain Waka is blind on this matter." She explained carefully. Wada and Otohime were thoughtful a moment, silence stretching on.

"I see… troubling indeed." King Wada said finally, stroking his beard thoughtfully. "So what does this mean? What are we to do?" He ventured.

"Shiranui is still alive somewhere, I believe, but not in Nippon. On the night her presence appeared and disappeared, a guardian sprite appeared to me. Her power was diminished, and she had nary the strength to even speak, but she did recount to me what had happened to Shiranui, and the state of the land." Himiko explained, thinking back to her meeting with the sprite. "Her name she did not tell me, but I believe she is called Sakuya. The Cursed Zones had come from the Moon Cave and overtook the land to the east. All was swallowed but a small area around Kamiki's Sacred Tree, Konohana. As you know, under the tree was a statue of a wolf they called 'Shiranui', the wolf who had defeated the eight-headed demon along with the hero of Kamiki Village. When the Cursed Zones appeared and swallowed even the sun, she breathed life into the statue with the instrument, Divine Retribution, which she, the sprite, has been guarding over these many decades. After clearing the curse in Kamiki Village, demons appeared, and attacked this wolf, Shiranui. Although not slain, she was wounded and fell into the ocean, and was swept away. With her last strength, the sprite told me that Shiranui was no longer in Nippon, for she would be able to feel her presence somewhere, but Shiranui must be alive elsewhere." Himiko recounted carefully.

"I too felt a Divine presence, but did not know what to make of it." Otohime admitted. "So what are we to do?"

"I had hoped there was some way you might be able to help search. The oceans are the Dragonian's domain." Himiko said hopefully.

"The oceans of Ryoshima Coast and Nippon, yes, but not all oceans of the world." King Wada said with a small shake of his head. "We shall do what we can, but understand not all oceans are ours. We can only search so far."

"It is far more than I can do." Himiko said with a dismal shake of her head.

"Searching the oceans is one thing, but what about the land?" King Wada ventured. "There's no guarantee Shiranui will be in the ocean."

"If Shiranui is indeed alive, she will no doubt be doing everything in her power to return here. If not in the ocean, she will be at the coast." Himiko concluded strongly. King Wada and Otohime nodded in agreement before Otohime turned toward the ocean.

"Orca!" She called. A moment later a neon pink and purple orca whale appeared, springing out of the water in an acrobatic display before landing in the water in front of the Dragonian queen, a wood platform on its back. The orca whale gave a chirp in response, seeming to smile broadly. "I wish to give you a special mission." She said. She quickly explained the situation and her orders before the water creature gave a cry and dove into the water, disappearing. Satisfied, Otohime turned back to Queen Himiko. "It is done." She said with a slight nod.

"Good. I must return to the city. There is much to be done." Himiko said before bowing slightly. "Thank you for your help. May the spirits of the air, the earth, and the sea protect you."

"May you be well, Queen Himiko." King Wada said before pulling out a crystal orb with metal wrapped around it shaped like a serpent dragon. Raising it above his head, the crystal glowed and both Dragonian rulers transformed back into large water serpents, slipping back under the ocean waves. Himiko turned to look back at the soldiers.

"Escort me back to the city."

* * *

Lavi and Kanda quickly jumped between Allen and the spinning level four, swinging at it with all their might, striking hard.

"Back…_OFF_!" They snarled as they sent it flying back. Lenalee quickly appeared at the side of the silver haired teen, gently pulling him off Krory.

"Allen!"

"Hey Allen, Crow-chan, you guys okay?" Lavi asked, managing to keep the concern out of his voice. Bookman would skin him alive if he actually showed his emotional attachment, but he still _cared_. Allen winced as he tried to sit up, only managing to prop himself up on his elbows.

"I'll be okay…I think…" Allen wheezed. The junior Bookman looked back at the Akuma, his usual default smile crossing his lips.

"These guys are really tough, even for level fours…" Lavi commented, watching them carefully with his one eye. "Almost too tough." Kanda didn't respond other then uttering a pissed of '_che_', which Lavi assumed was agreement, though the samurai would never openly admit it.

"Heehee~ so you can tell, exorcist!" The clawed one declared. "The Earl knows all about each of you and your Innocence. The Earl specially picked us for this mission not only for our abilities, but our strength as well!" It cackled. "Now it's time for the exorcists to die!"

* * *

**A/N(2):** Lemme guess, you're wondering... 'Another cliffhanger?!' *smacks over the head* Do you people not listen? I said that I'd probably be doing quite a few cliffhangers! D; Now, who are Shiranui and Amaterasu, you ask? Well, Ookami fans know, obviously, but I won't say for those of you who don't know ;3 Of course, it'll be explained in later chapters. I dunno, like... somewhere between the next three to six chapters maybe? Not much else to say, so... till next time! **And please, for the love of all that is Holy, REVIEW!!!!**  
**Next Chapter: **The scent of blossoms

~Kit


	3. The scent of Blossoms

**Authors Note:** Yay for another chapter! I'm really enjoying how this story is developing, even if this chapter was a bit of a bitch to write, even though it was a bit shorter than the last two chapters… -shot- HOWEVER the chapters after this should be much easier to write so I look forward to it even more. Although I still have a long way to go on this story, this one probably won't go on hiatus any time soon, especially now that I finally have a computer at home to work on. Also, a few of you may have noticed by now, but my new penname is Kougetsu_KitsuneHinote_Hakuma, and used to be KitsuneHinote. Though I've only written and typed 3 Chapters, rest assured, I have many more planned, like… 23 more, and that's not even near the end of it XD

Hopefully I'll be able to update faster now, though I have about 12 stories I'm going to be working on eventually, and they'll eventually all be worked on at about the same time, but for now its about 4-5 stories. Thanks go out to _099ckr990_, _lilanimefan247_, and _..3000_ for their faves/watches and _099ckr990_ & _lilanimefan247_ for their reviews! Thanks a bunch guys!

**Disclaimer:** D Gray Man belongs the Katsura Hoshino-sensei, and Ookami belongs to Capcom and Clover Studio(despite that they've been disbanded, they still deserve the credit. You Ookami Wii only people go pick up a ps2 copy where Clover Studio got the credit it deserves! | )

**----------------**

**Of Divine Instruments and Innocence**

**A D Gray Man & Ookami Crossover**

**By: Kougetsu_KitsuneHinote_Hakuma**

**Chapter 3: The Scent of Blossoms**

Waka moved easily over the landscape in large, easy bounds as if he were on the moon, the cloth from his hawk shaped helmet fluttering behind him. The cliffs of Taka Pass were enveloped in black and red that shifted and writhed over the land, earth drained of its life and color. Only the top-most peaks escaped the choking grip of the Cursed Zone, even the guardian sapling stood withered and defeated, silently crying for salvation. It stung the Tao Master's heart to see the land in such a wretched, suffering state, so horribly crushed by the power of _THAT_ demon. It hurt so much he wanted to rid this place of its curse, free it from its choking binds, but no…

He reminded himself that it was not his, but Amaterasu's duty to do it. She needed to be this lands salvation, not him. It was a God's task, and he was no God.

He looked away from the landscape below, bounding across the sharp peaks. He quickly passed Agata Forest, the sky flashing suddenly around him as he descended to the cursed areas', the sky turning blood red and growing heavy, the ground a dark gray and black, black Kanji characters floating through the air. A black haze flickered up from the ground, black tendrils waving like fire. The Tao Master felt as if malicious eyes were on him, hungry tendrils moving towards him as if to capture and consume the blond man, but they pulled away short, not daring to even brush against his skin as they seemed to hiss furiously.

"_Qu'est-ce qu'il y a_, too much light for you?" Waka couldn't help but say, smirking slightly. Pure hatred seemed to emanate from the air as he made his way forward. The cliffs ended as a large black liquid expanse opened up, crashing and churning almost sickeningly with the demonic wind that blew across it. Waka recognized it as Lake Harami consumed by the Cursed Zone, a large cave at the lakes' center. An upside-down vortex of black clouds spiraled above the large cave, red lightning crackling through it. He concentrated, closing his eyes before he teleported to the top of the cave, huffing slightly as if tired from running there instead of teleporting.

The blond male took a few careful steps forward to look into a large chamber. It was a large circular ring with large spires like fangs spread out evenly. In the center was a large stone mound with steps leading up, a small wood shrine with a large gold bell at the center of the mound. Behind the bell shrine was a large gaping cave entrance that resembled a gaping, open snakes mouth with a large stone 'tongue' and several chain pulleys encased in sharp stalagmite and stalactite fangs.

On the other side of the shrine, in front of it, were two large stone doors sitting wide open and supported by an enormous wooden gate. Waka noticed a pair of figures moving through the gate and ducked behind the rocks a little better, peaking his head over just enough to see. The largest and much more noticeable figure was a very large, round man in a gray suit top with coat tails and black dress pants. His skin was a dark gray and he had a large grin complete with sharp canines and long, pointed ears. On his head was a large black top hat with fish decorations around the base that were rather obnoxious.

Walking next to him was a young girl. She had short black hair that somewhat spiked haphazardly. She wore a white lace shirt with long sleeves and a black ribbon neck tie accompanied by a short black skirt. Black and white striped tube socks reached mid-thigh and a pink umbrella idly tapped against her shoulder as black dress shoes tapped against ancient stone. She had dark gray skin as well and piercing tawny, golden eyes. Both figures were wearing very foreign European style clothes, and he could tell that both were no doubt from Europe themselves. The large, fat man seemed to be Victorian, from what he could remember from his infrequent trips to the Western World, but he couldn't place where the girl was from.

"We're back, my scaly friend~" The fat man called in a sing-song voice. A few moments passed before the ground rumbled and cracks appeared around the base of the shrine, the ground breaking apart before the shrine started to rise and a dark mass uncurled from the ground, a bestial growl filling the air. A large number of glowing red eyes narrowed on the large man.

"_Millennium Earl…_" A deep voice rumbled.

"Please, call me Duke. Earl is mostly what my enemies call me." The fat man cut in, eyes hidden behind his round glasses.

"_What is the progress on the Sacred Tree_?" The shadowed beast ventured.

"It's coming along, don't you worry." The fat man assured lightly. "I have a few of my Akuma working on it now. They were sent on their mission just today."

"_And yet the tree still stands_." The shadow growled, narrowing its blood red eyes dangerously.

"That wood sprite is proving to be more resilient than we first thought, but we've sent stronger Akuma this time. Rest assured, the tree will fall." The girl assured as she twirled the umbrella idly. "It's only a matter of time."

"_But too much time has passed already_!" The voice boomed, large razor fangs gleaming dangerously. "_The longer the tree remains, the greater the risk_! _That wretched God could return at any time and slay me just as they did before_!"

"Calm down, calm down. We're working on that, too." The fat man interjected.

"_And the Descendant_?" The shadow growled.

"He's coming of his own will. Soon he'll be here without much of our help." The shadow gave a frustrated growl and turned away.

"_This is taking too long…the Blood Pact must be fulfilled_!"

"Yes, yes. It will. The tree and all the obstacles will be cleared soon enough." 'Duke' assured again.

"_And what of these meddlesome strangers_?" The beast hissed. "_After all, they seem to have given you quite the amount of trouble. I hope for your sake they don't prove to be too great an obstacle for you._" It said with a slight smirk forming at the corners of its jaws.

"They will be no trouble at all." 'Duke' assured for another time, hoping it would be the last. "Perhaps a small hindrance, but they will be easy enough to crush, just like insects." The large beast chuckled slightly.

"_Good_. _I hope that's a promise you can keep_." The beast purred, snorting in front of the two before turning away again. "_Once the Blood Pact is fulfilled, my dark powers will exceed even that of the Gods'_. _All of Nippon will tremble beneath my power_!" The shadow's claim was finished with a large, bestial roar, the surrounding darkness seeming to resonate and flicker excitedly with its' Master's words.

"Not just this land, but the world. When your power is made full, it will be possible to bring the other four back as well, won't it?" 'Duke' asked, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

"_Of course_. _Powerful, they are, but none match my power_." The beast snorted.

"Just don't forget your promise, O Great One." 'Duke' said in a playful manner. "We need the Dark Lord if we are to accomplish our goal."

"_Of course_." The beast sniffed before leaning closer, blood red eyes glaring brightly, unnerving the 'Duke' a bit. "_Just as long as you remember YOUR end of the deal…_" The large, gleaming fangs widened into a threatening grin. "_…my Good Friend, the Duke_."

Waka took in the conversation carefully, narrowing his eyes. The other four and the Dark Lord? Obviously they were talking about demons of some sort. It couldn't have been the Spider Queen or Crimson Helm. Though powerful, they weren't so powerful as to spread darkness across Nippon, much less the world. He had an inkling one of they demons they spoke of was probably the ruler of Oni Island, but what of the other demons? Two of them must have been the twin demons of Ezofuji who had been sealed away long ago by the hero of the Oina. That left one more, but none came to mind. Then there was this 'Dark Lord' they spoke of. Did they mean the True Orochi? He shook his head. No, it couldn't have been. It had to be…

The already pale man paled even more, his hands trembling slightly. The Dark Lord could only be one demon that Waka knew of. He had long ago seen the events against the 'Dark Lord', but so many things had happened that went completely against his visions that he wasn't so sure what the future held anymore. On the deepest levels, it scared him. Not once in his exceedingly long life had he ever experienced a time that what he saw didn't come true, or even worse, changed completely. For him, it was like being blind almost. The world seemed more foreign and dangerous to him, even more than when he'd first landed here all that time ago, the last of his kind, side by side with the elegant goddess.

He winced at a sudden jolt of pain at his ankle and quickly pulled his leg away from a black tendril. The Cursed Zone must've been zapping away at his strength little by little and letting the darkness get closer. He quickly turned back to the chamber where glowing red eyes looked in his direction. The darkness that had wrapped around his leg must've alerted its Master to his presence.

"Something wrong?" The 'Duke' questioned with a tilt of his head.

"_We have an unwelcome visitor_." The beast growled, snarling and lunging toward the hiding Tao Master.

"Oh?" The 'Duke' blinked in surprise as the previously hiding man leapt in the air, narily avoiding the beasts' fangs. He concentrated as the large, monstrous creature lunged toward him. In a flash he vanished just before the fangs could reach him. The beast growled and let loose a furious roar that shook the ground.

Waka quickly reappeared at the cliff above Lake Harami, breathing heavily. He noticed the darkness trying to capture him in time to jump away, bounding across the ground and leaping ahead, the darkness lunging, threatening to surround and seize him the second his geki touched earth, the whole air filled with malice and bloodlust. A wall of black rose in front of him, almost seeming to snarl hatred at him.

His hand grabbed a small bamboo flute from his kimono sleeve which quickly became a glowing sword. He slashed through the dark mass and quickly passed through before it could recollect itself, the sky flashing before turning to a normal blue once more and the ground became a healthy green and brown. The blond male rolled as he hit the ground, staying where he stopped a moment to catch his breath and recollect himself. After a moment he looked back at the shifting black and red. He could almost hear that demon cursing his name from here, smirking slightly. He stood a bit shakily, the glowing sword returning to a flute as he slipped it back into his large sleeve.

"Better luck next time, big boy."

* * *

Orca flapped his tail furiously, propelling himself through the water. The neon whale slowed slightly to look on the shore of a small island, looking carefully. Noting nothing but a few stray Imps lazily lounging in the grass, he moved on to the open waters again. He dove under the waves for a moment, chirping slightly as he went. He came across a few unlucky fish, welcoming the small snack before surfacing again, bent on checking any and every island and coast, the orders from Otohime still fresh in his mind.

**.::**Otohime crouched down slightly, Orca eagerly and readily awaiting his orders.

"I wish to give you this special mission." Otohime said with careful seriousness. Orca chirped and waved his front fins to show he was ready, making the Dragonian Ruler smile faintly. "Now listen carefully. A few months ago when the Cursed Zones started appearing, the guardian sprite of Kamiki revived the legendary Shiranui who defeated the dreaded demon one hundred years ago, but Shiranui was attacked and swept away into the ocean." Orca nodded his head as best he could to show he understood. "Shiranui was swept to another land across the sea, and as far as we know, is trying to return. I want you to travel across the sea to the coast of China and find Shiranui. When you find them, take them to Kamiki Village. Can you do that?" Orca chirped loudly to signify he excepted the task. "Beware of demons, for they also seek Shiranui. Go!" Otohime commanded.

Orca readily dived back into the water, bent on fulfilling the mission for his Queen.**::.**

The neon whale slowed slightly, hearing something. He quickly swam behind a large rock, swimming very slowly, just enough to peer out from behind it. It was a moment later that a metal shark-like creature darted through the water where Orca had previously been. He cautiously swam back, narily avoiding being spotted as it turned its body to peer at the makeshift hiding place. It narrowed its eyes slightly, watching the spot before sniffing contemptibly and swam back the way it came. Orca peered out after a moment, and seeing that it was clear, cautiously swam out. After checking his surroundings he quickly darted out into the open ocean again, gliding easily through the waves. Several nearby fish darted for cover as he passed them by, making a sharp bend around a large rock that rose out of the water partially.

He slowed to look around the large rocks for any sign of a wolf, but found nothing and started out again. A sharp pain like a battering ram smashed into his side, knocking the whale into a tailspin before he managed to shift to an upright position, looking about wildly. After a moment he saw a large black figure dart toward him from behind one of the large rocks, sharp, serrated teeth aimed at his underbelly. Orca swung around, throwing his tail outward and making sharp contact, throwing the shark-creature into the side of the rock. He wasted no time in turning to quickly swim away, leaving the dazed creature behind.

* * *

Satsujinsha reeled in surprise and pain as the large fish's tail lashed into his face with enough force to knock him through the water, crashing hard into the side of a large water rock. He furiously writhed and shook himself from side to side, dazed and furious, teeth lashing for anything and everything that got too close. Eyes darting, he spotted his prey escaping, writhing away from the rock and shooting after, but he didn't have enough speed to catch the colorful creature, so he slowed instead and let them escape for now. He growled something incomprehensible and swam after his prey more slowly this time.

It had escaped him for now, but he'd find them eventually. Their blood-scent was still fresh in the water.

* * *

Allen struggled to get to his feet as Lavi and Kanda staved off the attacks of the level four Akuma, wincing as he pushed himself up. Lenalee's hand touched Allen's shoulder gently, a look of worry across her face.

"Allen-kun…" He mustered a reassuring smile, the sharp pain in his body numbing for a moment.

"I'm fine. Help the others fight the Akuma." He said. She hesitated for just a moment before nodding and turning back to the battle, leaving Allen on his own. Another surge of pain traveled through his body as he moved and he winced, recoiling in pain. It would be difficult to fight like this. Unless…

He willed his Innocence to use Clown Belt to move his body, white tendrils of cloth wrapping around his limbs from beneath Crown Clown's white cloak.

'**You should be careful how you fight these ones. They just may be a bit too much to handle.'**

Allen was caught off-guard by the sudden voice, and one he knew and hated. The 14th. This was probably the first time since he had entered the secret room on the Ark that the 14th had actually spoken to him. He gave a growl as he drew his Sword of Exorcism, preparing to attack.

"The last thing I need right now is your two cents." He growled in response. He wondered after if replying out loud was really that smart, but no one seemed to notice since they were currently fighting the Akuma.

Allen leapt at the Akuma, swinging his sword at the cloud breather that quickly flew back to avoid getting struck down. Kanda struck at the clawed level four with Mugen, starting to get even more pissed off. The Akuma locked claw to blade, pushing back and forth against the samurai before cackling.

"Oh~ You're very strong, exorcist!" Kanda smirked, pushing the Akuma back with even more force.

"Should I take that as a compliment?" He sneered, knocking the surprised Akuma back with a strong blow before drawing Mugen back. "Underworld insects, first illusion." He growled, swinging his katana. Several small, hellish looking creatures flew at the level four, exploding on impact and blinding the demon for a moment. It quickly fanned the area in front of it with its claws to clear the small cloud of smoke before its eyes gleamed.

"Hah, you'll have to do better than that, damn exorcist!" It growled before stopping, blinking in surprise. "Hey, where did he go?" The human-shaped being looked around in confusion before turning around to see Kanda flying at it with Mugen leading his charge.

The level four cursed under its breath and tried to spin around and use its claws to counter attack, but was too late as Mugen bit deep into its side. The Akuma gave a cry of agony as it was thrown into the ground, creating a crater. Kanda landed on the ground in a fighting stance as Allen appeared at his side.

"It's about time you did something to help." Allen commented, more or less stressed out over this whole situation.

"_Che_…shut up and look at yourself, Moyashi. You're not doing much to beat these damn Akuma yourself." The pissed off samurai retorted. Allen grit his teeth angrily at the hated nickname.

"How many times do I have to tell you? It's Allen, Bakanda! A-L-L-E-N!" The white-haired teen retorted hotly, tempted to smack him around a little if not for their much bigger dilemma at hand. No doubt there'd be plenty of time to take out a few of his frustrations with the Japanese male after, if they all survived that is. Allen lunged at the Akuma as it started to rise again, thrusting the Sword of Exorcism at his foe with much of his strength as Kanda did the same with Mugen. Their two swords sliced into the clawed level four's thick arms, effectively pinning it between them.

The Akuma gave a shriek of pain and writhed to escape, cursing profusely with venom and hatred.

"Damn you, exorcists! Damn you straight to Hell! Let me go!" it caterwauled. Allen stared at the struggling Akuma with an apathetic gaze as he pinned its arm with his foot and raised his sword to strike what would be a final blow.

"Pitiful Akuma, let your soul be saved." He said, thrusting the sword down at it. Near the last few seconds the Akuma suddenly freed its arm and whipped it around, knocking Allen hard in the side. The wind was knocked out of him for a moment as he gasped in surprise and was thrown to the side. With one arm free the Akuma lunged at Kanda with it, digging its claws into the flesh of his neck, blood trickling down its almost crystalline skin. Kanda choked in pain but pushed Mugen's blade deeper into its arm.

This only served to enrage the Akuma more as it forced its way onto its feet despite the pain from Kanda's anti-Akuma weapon and slammed the older teen back into a blackened, burnt tree. Kanda sputtered blood but the dark glare of hatred remained strong in his eyes as he kept a firm grip on Mugen's hilt, twisting the blade roughly and causing the Akuma to jerk in pain before it yanked its other arm free and thrust its claws into his side. He wavered as his vision quickly began to swim with shadows at the corners of his eyes as the Akuma grinned wickedly.

"Oh~ Don't die yet, exorcist!" The Akuma jeered before pulling him away from the tree to bash him against one of the rock walls with shattering force. "We're not done yet!" Allen winced as he forced himself to his feet, watching in disgust and shock as the Akuma repetitively slammed Kanda hard into the rock before he ground his teeth together and lunged at the demon furiously, swinging Sword of Exorcism at it. The Akuma noticed and, dropping Kanda's limp body, jumped back to avoid the attack.

"Awe, he died… Oh well. I'll have fun with you next." It cackled sadistically. Allen panted slightly, his energy quickly draining.

'**I told you they might just be too much for you.'** The 14th broke in again. Allen growled in annoyance and ignored the inner voice as he lunged at the level four, but he was too easily knocked back and into the rock wall, collapsing next to Kanda painfully. He groaned in pain and struggled to rise again, casting his gaze on Kanda and his now seemingly lifeless midnight blue eyes.

'_No way…is he really…?'_ He quickly banished the thought away. He remembered something about some kind of life force when he had been in the Ark the first time. He was sure Kanda would recover from his blows in just a short while. He turned his attention back to the Akuma and struggled to his feet, staggering slightly as his head spun. He placed a hand to his head a moment and was surprised to find his own blood staining his hand from where he'd touched his forehead.

'**If you let me take control, even for a short while, I can turn this entire battle around.'** The 14th purred. Allen was surprised at the offer but didn't even hesitate to refuse. There was _no_ way he would let the 14th take control for even a second, even with the odds like this. He was sure they had more than enough power to defeat these Akuma, even if it would take a long time and lots of energy. He raised Crown Clown's sword up again as he prepared to attack, quickly thinking of a way to gain the upper hand. He ran at the demon, his sword lashing out. As expected the Akuma moved back to dodge, to where Allen quickly changed the direction of his swing and knocked the Akuma into the air with a hard swing.

The Akuma gave a cry of surprise as it was thrown back and Allen readied for a counter strike. He blinked as a realization came to him. Scanning around with his cursed eye, he noted two Akuma around them, the clawed one and the cloud-breather, which Lavi and Lenalee were fighting.

'_Where did the third Akuma go?'_ He quickly tried to pinpoint it and whipped his head around as he did, his gaze falling on the towering branches of a large sakura tree. _'The Sacred Tree!'_ He realized. He quickly whipped around as the clawed Akuma lunged again, an angry look on its face. Allen went to block but a mass of large needles formed a shield that blocked the Akuma's attack. Allen blinked in surprise and looked to Bookman, the old man staring at him calmly.

"You're going after the last Akuma, aren't you?" He guessed, or more like stated. "Leave this one to me. We can't afford to let the Sacred Tree be destroyed. And don't worry. I'll be sure to look after Kanda for you." Allen nodded his thanks and quickly turned, sprinting towards the Sacred Tree hastily.

* * *

Tanuki quickly ran up the path to the Sacred Tree as the exorcists fought against the Akuma, slipping around behind the houses where he would be out of danger, his canine companion Kuma-Kira at his side. The canine trotted at the same pace as they passed the edge of the water and passed underneath a red shrine gate. He passed several withered cherry trees on his left before passing underneath a large wood platform that led to a three way split in the path. On his right were bamboo benches covered in weathered cloth with Japanese paper umbrella's and beside those was a path leading up to the top of the wood platform. Just ahead was the path leading to the sacred tree which went between two stone pillars about as tall as a young man, monuments for travelers. The boy ran up the path and a large cherry tree came into view who's trunk was about as thick as some houses in the village and the swirling branches reached high into the air.

He passed underneath the turquoise shrine gate that had purplish blue spirit fire flickering from each post-end. A shinkan rope hung from the arch, and a paper seal was placed over it, weathered and somewhat torn. At the base of the tree stood several large stones, also with shinkan ropes around them and within the space between the trees roots stood the statue of a man with a thick beard clad in armor. He held up a sword in a heroic pose, and the statue was covered in moss.

Tanuki's hand traced over the hard, knarled cherry wood thoughtfully, a look of relief on his face.

"The tree is unharmed…" He thought aloud.

"Not for long, it won't be~!" A voice crackled from behind. Tanuki whirled around to see one of the level four Akuma hovering a few feet away, a murderous look across its face. Tanuki narrowed his eyes challengingly but said nothing, the dog at his side growling low in his throat, crouching into a fighting position, hackles raised and teeth bared. Tanuki cast a worried look at the tree. He couldn't let the Akuma destroy Konohana. All of Nippon needed this tree if it was to survive.

He whipped back around as the Akuma began to twirl like a top and launched towards him.

"But first I'll get rid of you!" Tanuki and Kuma-Kira dodged out of the way just in time before the Akuma hit the ground and rebounded back, preparing to strike again. It lunged toward the young boy at a dangerous pace. The boys' eyes widened before white clouded his vision. His gaze swept up to spiky white hair that he recognized as Allen's. The exorcist dug his feet into the ground as he tried to push the Akuma back with his sword, but was slowly losing.

He grit his teeth and pushed with all his might against it, but his waning strength against the Akuma's proved too much and he was forced back by the rapidly spinning demon. He gave a cry of pain as his back and head collided with the tree. Tanuki watched in horror as the teenager crumpled to the ground, the Akuma sailing back to strike again, spinning toward Allen to deliver a death blow, and Allen wasn't moving.

* * *

Rao walked up the stone steps to a pair of wood doors, the roof of Ankoku Temple overshadowing the wood boardwalk that surrounded the entirety of the temple. She swung open the doors and stepped inside to a large room. The smell of incense brushed by her nose as she shut the doors, a pair of candles on stands on either side of the doorway. Bamboo shelves filled with more candles sat in neat rows, illuminating the room.

Stone platforms with incense pots stood on each side of the room and large paper lanterns with bronze frames hung from the ceiling, small trees and leaves painted on them. In one of the corners of the room sat a large chest that she opened, plucking out a stack of paper slips with calligraphy on them and carefully stuffing them into her sleeve. The next item she pulled out of the chest was a green cloth sack just big enough to fit her hands into, the top tied with a neat little brown string. She undid the string and looked inside at the water-colored blue coins before tying the top of the bag back up and putting it in her kimono as well.

Standing up, she took another bag filled with money before closing the chest and walking to the center of the room. A carpet and a few mats stood at the base of a trio of Buddha statues, stone pots on either side with lotus' and lily pads coming out. She sat on the mat and bowed, uttering a prayer for a safe journey before standing again, plucking a lamp from a shelf and starting for the door. A pack filled with some more of her belongings sat by the door that she hoisted onto her back, as well as a woven grass hat. Once she had everything collected she left the temple, closing the doors tight and headed down the stone path. The stairs going down hill from the temple passed under a few gates before she came back to the dirt path, turning left and following the stone wall to the edge before turning left again. A steep drop off stood to her right, filled with water that was fed by the river from the city checkpoint and Agata Forest. When the path split again, she turned right this time and entered a cave with a wood gate and a pair of torches on each side.

A bat sleepily roosted on the rock ceiling of the cave entrance, stretching its wings luxuriously as she passed underneath before going back to sleep. The scent of incense once again reached her nose as she entered an old house, heading through a short hall. At the end of the hall was a demon skull with long, gruesome horns and on the wall hung a pair of holly leaves and a paper seal. She entered the main room where a gong and a large chest sat, gathering dust from little use. On a few long shelves sat several children's geisha dolls and what seemed to be large rosary hung over a wood desk where an old woman sat.

A shape like an eye was painted onto her wooden desk and a shallow bowl sat in front of her. The old woman had light gray hair and wore a deer skull on her head, several paper slips extending from her headwear. She wore a pink kimono over a red one and cerulean prayer beads around her neck. In the shallow bowl were the bones of many animals that Rao couldn't list off the top of her head.

"Welcome, Priestess. I knew you'd come. You must be troubled to come to me… and your face tells me I'm right." She spoke in a dry, yet somewhat melodious voice.

"Perhaps a little." Rao responded. "I may be a Priestess, but I cannot see the future." The old woman nodded in understanding.

"Yes, then if you need to know what is ahead, it must be very important. I am Madame Fawn. I read the bones to tell the future. If you have the money, I am ready. Interested?" She ventured. Rao nodded and pulled one of the small bags from her kimono, handing 500 yen to the woman. She nodded in approval and scooped the small animal bones into her hand.

"Aha! Then let us listen to what the bones have to say, friend!" She said as she tossed them back into the bowl, examining them carefully. A look of understanding crossed her face as she gazed at them. "It's coming to me! I can see it!"

"_In the land where it began and ended, six search for the Artifact of the Gods. Beneath the blossoms they meet the Guardian roots, and in the valley in ruin, the path to the sun is laid before them…_" She said in a thoughtful voice. "I can't tell you any more for now. You'll have to seek out the rest on your own." She said as she wrote the prediction on a slip of paper with her calligraphy brush and handed it to Rao. The Priestess muttered a quick thanks and went to leave back the way she came from. "When what I have seen is fulfilled, come back whenever you need another prediction. Ah hah hah…" She cackled.

* * *

Allen silently moaned in pain as his consciousness began to return, his head and back aching terribly. Even forcing his eyes to open was difficult, and his body felt heavy. He breathed heavily, trying to gather his strength. One of his first senses to return aside from feeling was smell. What was it he smelled? Flowers? He tried to sit up, but a wave of pain prevented him from doing so and instead he turned his head, finally managing to open his eyes. It took a moment for his vision to clear, everything around him blurry. When it did, he couldn't tell if what he was seeing was even real. His gaze traveled up the figure of a slim female body dressed in a bright pink kimono. Her long black hair was tied into two long pigtails, a crown of leaves decorating her head and what seemed to be a long cloth draped over her arms and around her back. After a moment he realized it wasn't cloth but a purplish cloud or mist of some kind. She glowed slightly and a few cherry blossom petals fluttered down from where she was…wait…_floating_?

The Akuma was glaring death at the woman, looking like it actually took some new damage. The scent of cherry blossoms tickled past his nose in waves, bringing a sense of comfort and even a new sense of strength through him. He managed to sit up, still doubting his eyes.

"_Are you…?_" He started in Japanese. The woman turned to face him, a look of understanding and even thanks across her features.

"_I am the guardian sprite, Sakuya. You came to protect me from these demons, and for that, I am grateful. Forgive me, I have not the strength to remain here much longer, but I wish you well and strength to defeat this evil. May the fresh scent of flowers protect you always._" She spoke in a melodious voice before turning into a sphere of radiating pinkish-white energy and disappearing into the bark of the sacred tree above Allen.

_Thank you…_ Allen thought silently.

"You damn wench! Come back here so I can destroy you!" The Akuma snarled. "You'll pay for what you did to me!" It said as it started to fly swiftly towards the tree. It flew back in surprise as Allen swung at it and warded it off, his strength renewed enough to fight.

"Allen!" Lenalee called, the young exorcists appearing, as well as the other two Akuma. Despite himself, Allen was relieved to see Kanda there, strong as ever, again.

_So I was right…_ He silently thought with relief. Not that he particularly cared about Kanda, but they were comrades in the Black Order. Personal grudges or not, that had to count for something. He turned his determined gaze back to the Akuma, readying his sword. He cast a glance at the others and read their gazes, silently nodding before they attacked the three Akuma, catching the demons off guard.

Allen swiped at the spinning one but missed as it backed away, but they were ready this time. Lenalee swiftly appeared behind it, striking it hard towards the ground. The Akuma gave a cry of pain as it slammed into the ground where Allen and Kanda rushed at it from different sides. The Akuma had no time to react as their two swords cut deep through its sides and it collapsed, still alive but badly wounded.

The other two Akuma glared death, snarling loudly in hatred. Before they could attack Allen and Kanda, Lavi's hammer smashed into them from behind and sent them into the ground. The wounded Akuma grimaced as they stood to face their adversary's, now surrounded by the five exorcists. Allen readied his sword, holding it up and at the ready to strike the final blow on the Akuma.

"This is where it ends."

* * *

**Authors Notes(2):** I bet your all asking me, 'was it really necessary to have Kanda beat all to Hell and back?'. No, not really, but that doesn't mean I dislike Kanda in the least -Kanda fan- I really just wanted to make all you Kanda fans out there squirm a little with that one, and all you Kanda haters who cheered, I say, for shame –shuns-

And just out of curiosity, but anyone out there think I really dragged the fight scene by a lot? If so, good, 'cause I really wanted to work on fight scenes 83 Hopefully I did good? –crosses fingers- I know most people dislike writing long fight scenes and always talk about being bad at them, so I wanted to try and write a decent fight scene, which is why this took so long and was so hard to write, and there's more where that came from! Don't worry though. As you can probably tell by now, its coming to a close so we can move on to more plot line instead of long fights. The next chapter will _probably_ be a bit shorter than usual, 'cause I want the action and whatnot to wind down a bit so it doesn't get too repetitive. Also, just for you Ookami people out there reading this, the plot is going to be switched up quite a bit instead of following the games plot, and on that note, I also decided to have the resurrection of both Orochi and Shiranui be a few months earlier than in the game, just so you know and don't get too confused with the plot.

Sorry if Waka might've seemed a little out of character, but I hope I wasn't too far off? Waka can be difficult to write about sometimes… Surprisingly enough I think I got the Earl's and Road's personality down pretty well despite myself, and only Ookami fans would really notice, but I put more French lines in there for Waka than he uses in the game. For Orca, I honestly had very little I could think of to write about… aside from transportation in North Ryoshima Coast, he really isn't very important, but I tried to give him an important role of some kind –I tried!- Also, anyone like my attempts of the 14th's one-sided conversation? Lol

Also, the shark-creature's name is Satsujinsha, if the story didn't tell you that, and he is indeed an Akuma. For now, he'll be mostly an unimportant character, but he will have bigger roles in the future, I can tell you that!

Um…anyone think they can figure out the reason for Waka's visions changing like they have been? Also, anyone think they can figure out Madame Fawn's prediction? Kudo's to anyone that can! I'd like to hear what you think is going to happen!

Anyways, enough of my ramblings. Please fave and **REVIEW****!!! ****REVIEW****!!! ****REVIEW****!!! ANONIMOUS REVIEWS ARE NOW ACCEPTED!**

Until my next update.

~Kit/Kou


	4. Decisive Strike

**Authors Note:** OMG can you believe how quickly I finished this chapter? Because honestly, I even surprised myself. Especially since I wrote three other chapters for two other stories over the last two days. Ah…it's so wonderful to have a computer at home again…

Just a note to my readers, about every five chapters or so I'm going to switch this story between the D Gray Man and Ookami board so if it doesn't show up for a while then one day pops back up with a whole shitload of updates, that's why 83 And I actually discovered I was wrong about Chapter 3, it was actually the longest chapter so far out of all of them –shot again-

Part of why I finished this so soon and blazed through the other fic's was because I'm really enjoying writing this Fanfiction for my two favorite stories and promised to follow my updates list so I keep a balance in uploading chapters for each story, but special thanks also goes out to one of my anonymous reviewers, _loverly buncha coconuts_, for their wonderful review! Honestly I was going to give up for a few days and take a break after typing two chapters for different stories, but after checking my reviews and seeing that one, it really got me pumped to get the next one and this one written up lickety-split! I love all my reviews, but to hear where I did good and bad from my reviewers like that is what really makes my day and motivates me even more to work on getting chapters out quicker. Also, thank you to _lilanimefan247_ for their wonderful review on chapter 3! Now, onto the chapter.

**Disclaimer:** Must I honestly say it again? I _DO NOT_ own DGM or Ookami! Those honors belong to Katsura Hoshino for DGM and Capcom & Clover Studio for Ookami(Despite being disbanded).

* * *

**Of Divine Instruments and Innocence**

**A D Gray Man & Ookami Crossover**

**By: Kougetsu_KitsuneHinote_Hakuma**

* * *

**Chapter 4: Decisive Strike**

The salty breeze picked up, brushing past a soft, black nose before the owner of it sneezed and rubbed it with a white paw in slight annoyance. The figure was a white wolf with a coat so brilliant it almost seemed to glow, accented with vivid crimson markings along her side that swirled around themselves then trailed down along her side. A ring of red crowned her forehead with a line of red spreading down the bridge of her muzzle to her nose and up to the back of her head, red dashes of color around her eyes.

A grove of Chinese firs and bamboo created a shady canopy above the two, the other figure being a small bug-sized figure that gave off a faint green glow. The small figure was struggling to pull a branch of wood to a larger pile, pulling with all its might. After a long struggle the little figure managed to get it up to the pile before letting it go and breathing in exasperation. After waiting a moment to catch its breath the figure whirled around to face the white wolf.

"Ya think ya could'a helped me enough, furball?" The small figure sneered with sarcasm edging his voice. The wolf sniffed in dismissal, her tail tip twitching slightly but otherwise gave no response, not seeming to really care. The small figure growled something incomprehensible as he went to look for something to make a fire with. The wolf listened carefully to its surroundings as it lay curled into a loose ball, eyes closed restfully as its thoughts drifted back to her homeland and what had transpired.

**.::**Paws quietly thudded against dirt and stone, the sky blacker than night itself as the ground radiated an unearthly, chilling glow. A looming silence lay heavily over the air, not a single sound that could be heard aside from the wolf's own paw steps and the small figure that rode atop her head. All of the plant life from the trees to the bushes that she saw looked withered and dead, completely crushed by whatever dark presence had washed over the land. Though the water seemed clear enough, it sat completely still, instead of moving in normal waves, since even the wind seemed to be absent from this place.

The wolf stopped in front of a human-like statue that almost seemed as if a person themselves had been turned to stone, silently and lifelessly looking out over the landscape.

"Hey, there's a statue here, too…" The small glowing green figure said in a small, squeaking voice, bouncing up and down atop the wolf's head. "It's like the villager's have turned into stone or something…" He began before a loud, monstrous roar suddenly broke the deathly silence, the ground reverberating with the power behind it. "Not Again!? That's not just one of those smaller monsters that's lurking about. A roar like that's gotta belong to somethin' much bigger." The tiny figure said, sweating slightly in fear at the thought of what horrible creature could produce such a loud, terrifying roar. "Let's hurry up and find someone with a pulse around here!" He said. The wolf made a noise of agreement and started padding further into the village, finding a statue that looked like a small boy, heading over to investigate.

"No good. This one's not movin'." The tiny figure said in frustration. "Everyone here was perfectly fine just a few hours ago! There's definitely something strange goin' on around here. The village is back, but what's up with this dark sky?" He wondered aloud. "Maybe it's dark outside the village, too?!" He panicked, sweating again. "Let's find some high ground so we can take a look!" He said. The wolf turned and started back towards the sacred tree, padding past the statues and up the path till they passed under the large wood platform to the small three-way clearing.

"Up there, furball." The small figure pointed to the wood platform above them. "I bet you that'd be the best view for seein' outside the village." The wolf looked up for a moment before turning right and running up the stone stairs to the cliff above the village. The pair passed by several more dead cherry trees and a dried up pond bed before passing underneath a red shrine gate onto the wood deck, coming to a circular wood platform with wood poles around the rim holding up shinkan ropes with folded paper hanging down from them and a swirling sun pattern painted in red on the platform surface.

The two gazed up at the sky, but all they saw was black as far as the eye could see, an unnatural ghostly mist floating through the air.

"This is bad… the sun's not even shining. It's as black as night as far as the eye can see. And not a single villager can move a muscle… Is it some kind of curse? Did a monster do this?" The small fellow thought aloud sorrowfully. "It's not gonna stay like this forever, is it? If only the sun were out to light our way…"

The wolf stood looking at the sky a moment, sorrow filling her heart at the sight as the figure continued.

"If you could draw a circle in the sky, then we'd have ourselves a sun! But I guess that'd be impossible, even for a God like you. Maybe we better seek out another Brush God for help. Of course, if you had that kind of power from the start, that'd be a different story…" She sniffed indignantly at that and lifted her tail, making a circle in the air, a circle of ink being drawn as if on paper before their eyes. The circle of ink flashed before becoming a burning sun in the sky, rays of light emanating down from it and suddenly lighting up the area, the sky becoming its normal, healthy blue color.

"Wh-wh-what the?!" The small figure stuttered. "Hm… come to think of it, your name IS Amaterasu! That's the name of the Sun God! So, it'd follow that you had the Sunrise technique from the start. With it, you could even turn night into day…" He stated thoughtfully. "Wow, you're no run-of-the-mill God, that's for sure! _The flowing brush is like music from the Heavens_. That's a line from one of my Grandfather's poems. He felt a skilled artist was like a musician of shape and color. Since you're such a good artist yourself, why don't we name your brushwork after that poem of his? It's called _Celestial Brush_! After all, your brush did bring out the sun!" He declared, barely suppressed glee in his voice. After all, the tiny figure was out to learn all of the brush techniques of the gods, and he had just witnessed first hand the power of Amaterasu. "Well, Ammy… Let's get back to the village! We gotta see if the villager's are back to normal now."

"Hm? Who are you?!" A dry, rough voice demanded. Amaterasu looked back over her shoulder, the small bug-like figure following her gaze to a wrinkled old man with a long, white beard and mustache. He was bent over a wood walking stick and dressed in a blue kimono, bouncing an orange off the top of his round, bald head, a shinkan rope around his thin, saggy neck.

"A white wolf!?" He said in surprise as Amaterasu turned around to face him. "Not the one who fought that terrible creature with Nagi!? You couldn't possibly be the legendary Shiranui!" He said thoughtfully, gazing carefully at the white wolf. "No, it can't be… that story is 100 years old." He began again as Amaterasu sat down, slight boredom starting to set in. "Still, you look a lot like that statue of Shiranui." He thought aloud as she yawned and tilted her head to one side a moment in question. "On the other hand, you don't look quite as smart…"

Amaterasu's head shot up slightly in realization of what he said before she crouched down into an aggressive stance and growled at him. The old man started to sweat in surprise and fear, holding up his fists self-protectively, not quite sure if she was going to attack him.

"Wh-wh-whoa! No need to growl like that. Can you really understand what I'm saying? Well I'm not one to mince words, I just state the facts." He said before a chilling wind began to pick up, blowing dead leaves and plant material along the almost demonic wind. The man held his arms around him as if cold and scratched his head slightly.

"Hm? What's with this sudden chill down my spine?" He wondered aloud as Amaterasu noticed a trio of creatures jumping down the cliff behind him. They were monkey like with sickly green skin covered in large warts, open kimonos on their lightly hairy bodies as they held glistening, golden demon flutes.

"Here they come, furball! Those are the monsters that've been plaguing these lands. They sneak into villages and cause all sorts of trouble!" Issun warned as Amaterasu stood in a tense fighting stance, growling threatening as she anticipated attacking them. "Step aside, furball! This is a job for my trusty sword, Denkomaru!" He commanded, unsheathing a miniscule sword from his side.

The trio of monsters lunged for the old man, leaping high into the air with glistening claws raised, but Amaterasu was just as fast. She leapt forward and grabbed a hold of the old man by the side of his blue kimono, spinning around in the air as she and the demons closed the distance. The flaming shield that had been hovering over her back whizzed over her head in a wide arc and knocked the odd creatures back into the nearby cliff while she swung around and threw the old man over the platform and away from the demons before landing on the wooden deck again.

She threw her head up and snarled viciously before launching at the three sickly creatures. The demons shrieked as they summoned a blood red wall of energy with black and bright red kanji characters floating up from the bottom rim.

She rushed out and lashed at the first and closest of the demons with the Reflector on her back, flames trailing behind the dark green disk as she smashed it into the greenish monster several times, earning a shriek of pain with each blow. She jumped high into the air as another tried to circle around and attack her from behind, bolting around the ring as she landed and quickly getting behind them, striking out at both. After several blows the first one she'd attacked gave a deathly shriek and flew into the air with the last strike. Before hitting the ground again, she quickly flicked her tail, drawing a slash across it that sliced it clean in half, a bluish red fang-like object falling to the ground. She quickly retrieved it and ran after the second creature. With a strong hit she knocked it into the wall and it slumped to the ground, all color drained from its body.

She quickly drew a slash across it and sliced it in half, the creature awakening for the briefest moments as pain ripped through its body, literally. The last creature more carefully prowled around her, the wolf and beast circling each other with ferocious growls before the beast lunged at her. She lashed out and struck the monster repetitively before it finally collapsed in death. The bodies of the creatures burst into large flowers in bloom, before the flowers faded into thin air as well.

At that moment the demonic wall around her dissipated and flowers bloomed outward from the dried pond and melted into water, while others formed into solid rocks and full grown trees as if created by some unknown, magical force.

"Wow, you really get aggressive when your mad, don't ya?" The small figure riding atop her head exclaimed. He quickly noticed she hadn't relaxed and looked around. It was only a moment later that another trio of creatures appeared, ones that Issun didn't fully recognize. They were human-like shapes that seemed to be made of shiny black stone or metal, with large, menacing teeth and several pairs of eyes, skeletal wings coming out of their backs. "Yikes! What the heck are those?!" The small figure blurted.

"Heh heh heh… it's just as the Earl said." It said in a sadistic, purring voice that sent a shiver down the small green figure's spine. The new monster pointed at Amaterasu as she growled viciously. "You must be the fabled Shiranui. I'm so sorry to have to tell you this, but you are going to have to _die_."

Before the bug-like figure on Amaterasu's head could even come up with a smart reply, the three human-shaped demons rushed forward swiftly, killer intent gleaming in their many eyes. Amaterasu jumped back in surprise and landed on the deck, back facing the cliff below. The attacking demons didn't even pause as they rushed at her again, the goddess leaping into the air to escape harm, but was horribly surprised as the demon launched upward and buried its glistening black claws deep into her side, blood staining its arm as she flew back, toppling head over heels through the air before finally splashing into a large body of cold water below.**::.**

Amaterasu winced slightly in pain as she uncurled, gazing out over the vast, open water, gold eyes holding a distant sorrow in them. She couldn't help but worry about the land that she was so far away from now. Where was Nippon without her? Were all the people there alright? Being stuck so far away, not knowing if the land she so desperately loved with all its wonderful people was in ruin or not was making her restless, and her wound was still healing from that incident with those demons. By now the wound had closed for the most part and was little more than a red line poking out along her flesh, but it still ached with too much movement.

She inwardly sighed, worry nipping at her mind. She had to return to Nippon, before something terrible happened that she would be powerless to stop.

* * *

The Akuma snarled with rage, looking between the exorcists as they were surrounded, hatred burning in their eyes. They weren't given the chance to attack as the exorcists rushed them, weapons gleaming in the fiery rays of the sunset far on the horizon. The Akuma cursed as they tried to avoid the attacks, hissing in pain as they were cut or hit by their enemies.

After a moment they managed to fly above the exorcists to the cliff overshadowing the village, but Allen had already guessed their escape route and jumped up, using the cliff wall parallel to it to propel himself up after them, swinging his Sword of Exorcism at the demons. Two of them moved away in time, growling profanities and curses at him in the process, while the wounded spinning level four wasn't as lucky. Crown Clown's blade bit deep through the Akuma's torso, throwing it back as it shrieked again in pain, stopping just before the edge of the cliff leading down to the center of the village.

The Akuma shook the pain off a moment as it whipped its head up, its face twisted into a hideous snarl.

"You damn exorcist! You're-" It began, trailing off weakly as Allen's claw was buried into its chest, meeting apathetic, metallic-silver eyes. "…dead…"

"Cross Grave." The exorcist uttered. White crosses appeared over each of the three Akuma, exploding against their bodies with tremendous force. The wounded Akuma gave a strangled cry as it toppled over the cliff. Lenalee flew above it and, with a powerful kick from her Dark Boots, sent it crashing painfully into the ground.

Its senses were brought back as a sharp, narrow blade cut through its already mangled body, ripping another choked scream from it. It looked up, eyes wild with pain and fury before the wielder of the blade released the hilt, taking a quick step back as the large, round face of Lavi's hammer crashed on top of the katana's pommel, sending it deeper through it. It uttered a final screech before lurching, giving a last spasm of pain before its body imploded, sending a cloud of dust and small bursts of fire into the air, leaving a scorched crater. The other two Akuma hissed under their breath furiously before turning their attention back to Allen as he leapt for them, flying out of the way in time, sailing further away into the air to retreat.

"This isn't over, exorcists!" The clawed Akuma swore, baring its teeth as it snarled hatred at them. Allen used the cliff to slow his fall and landed beside Lenalee, gritting his teeth as they escaped, but he knew already that he'd only be wasting his energy trying to chase them down right now. "We'll be back, and next time, we'll make sure all of you _die_!" The clawed one promised before turning and following more swiftly after the cloud breather. The exorcists huffed exhaustedly, recollecting themselves as Kanda retrieved Mugen with his usual cold, stern expression, Krory relaxing and Lavi returned Iron Hammer to its holder.

"Man, I never thought I'd be happy to see an Akuma retreating from the battle…" The junior bookman heaved, sufficiently worn out from the whole thing. Although Allen didn't want to openly admit it, he was somewhat glad too. Despite his resolve to save the souls of the Akuma, he was sure he wouldn't have been able to continue much further, panting slightly with exhaustion. His suspicions were confirmed as he deactivated Crown Clown, instantly collapsing when the white tendrils of Clown Belt receded to no longer hold him up.

Lenalee whipped around in surprise as she heard the thud and raced to his side worriedly, carefully lifting him up by his shoulders.

"Allen!" He offered her a weak smile in response, eyelids drooping slightly.

"I'm fine, Lenalee. Just tired." He assured. Lavi rubbed the top of his head, a look of weariness and agreement across his features.

"Tell me about it. I'm so exhausted I could probably sleep for a week." Lavi said, not failing to notice the critical look Bookman gave his apprentice. The only response Kanda gave was an indifferent '_che_', which Allen somehow knew was Kanda's way of indirectly agreeing.

"Are you sure you'll be alright?" Lenalee asked again worriedly as he tried to stand, failing miserably as he winced in pain and fell back onto his knees.

"Yeah, I just need to rest, that's all." He assured again, trying to keep the pain from his voice as his small, gold golm wriggled its way out from his shirt collar and fluttered in the air before landing in Allen's white hair. The group looked up as the old man from before approached, hobbling over with his walking stick. After a moment more of the villagers began to hesitantly step out.

"You strangers have saved our village from those terrible demons." The old man said gratefully in a husky, well used voice, nodding his head in approval. "I cannot thank you enough."

"It's just what we do." Link said as he came back to the group, now that the level fours were no longer there.

"Please, if there's anything we can do, simply name it." The old man added. The group of exorcists looked at each other thoughtfully for a moment before back to the old man.

"A place to stay for the night would be nice." Allen thought aloud, hoping there might've been an inn or something in the village, though it seemed like it was too small of a village to have one. Allen's gaze shifted to the slim woman from before, her red and gold kimono covering her small frame.

"_If you're looking for a place to stay, I would be honored to let you stay at my house for the night._" She said in Japanese, casting a grateful look to Allen.

"As would I." The old man agreed, looking from her to them. "After all, there seem to be a good number of you." The group nodded in silent agreement, rather tired by the day's events.

"Please, let me take you inside. My home is just over there." The old man said, pointing with his cane to a somewhat larger house with a pair of stone lanterns near the door and a giant orange surrounded by a shinkan rope on his roof, which they couldn't help but sweat drop at.

* * *

"Ow…" Allen winced slightly as Lenalee wiped his forehead with a wet rag where it had been split open before and the blood had dried around. Lenalee's face was a mix of worry and amusement at the little yelps and groans he was making about the treatment, reminding her slightly of a little kid after they scraped their knee or something. Though it was pretty unusual for the young white-haired boy to complain about any kind of pain, she somehow got a sense of relief from it, especially since there didn't seem to be anything too seriously wrong or life threatening.

"It's not too bad." Lenalee said with relief, noting that the small split across his face wasn't very deep. Link looked up from his most recent paperwork, no doubt a detailed report of that day's earlier events, with his usual look of seriousness.

"Well that's a relief at least." He said. Allen couldn't help but mentally scoff.

'_Yeah, that sounded convincing…'_ He mentally sighed, though he didn't really expect Link to seem as though he cared very much. Link was only assigned to be his watch dog after all. The home they were in was a traditional Japanese home, thin walls held up by wood beams surrounding them and paper screen doors. A wax candle was held up by a thin stand in the farthest corner of the room as the group sat around a small, burning fire pit, a metal hook coming down from the ceiling and suspending a black metal pot with boiling water. Closer to the door was a round stone fireplace with a hole in the top covered by a round wood lid, a bamboo basket sitting beside it.

The large room was divided in half by the floor, the half closest to the door nothing but dirt, while the other half was wood that stood about a foot higher than the ground. Allen, Lenalee and Link sat at the edge of the wood floor boards near the fire pit, while Lavi, Krory, and Bookman sat at the far wall on the wood floor. Tanuki and Kanda each chose separate corners near the door, Kanda leaning against the wall closest to the door while Tanuki sat with his dog at his side. Also sitting around the fire pit were the old man, who was called Mr. Orange, and his wife, Mrs. Orange. The old woman had grayish white hair tied into a bun in the back, bleached from old age, a yellow head band around her head and an orange on top of her head as well. She was dressed in a pink kimono with a yellow obi around her waist, a woven bamboo basket on her back. The woman from before, dressed in the red and gold kimono, was a woman by the name of Kushi.

Allen winced again as Kushi approached before leaning down to hand them each a cup of fresh tea, a fragrant scent wafting from the cups.

"_Here you go_." She said. Allen offered her a grateful smile as he took the cup.

"Arigatou." He uttered thankfully. Lenalee did the same as she took the cup and sipped at it, the warm liquid soothing to both her taste buds and her throat. Kushi offered the others tea as well. Pausing in his drink, Allen couldn't help but notice the troubled look on Krory's face, blinking in confusion.

"What's wrong, Krory?" He asked curiously, some of the others looking at the male exorcist as well as he shifted uncomfortably.

"I feel so out of place…I can't understand anyone here." He whimpered. Allen nodded in understanding as Lavi stared at Krory thoughtfully.

"Yeah, I guess you wouldn't know how to speak Japanese living in that castle for all that time. Hey wait…" Lavi's green eye turned to face Allen now. "Now that I think of it, how do you know how to speak Japanese, Allen?" He asked. The attention shifted to the albino now as the junior bookman posed this question. Lavi and Bookman knew it since they were part of the Bookman clan, which knowing something as simple as another language pretty much came with the territory, where as Lenalee had pretty much lived in China and at the Asian Branch during her younger days, and Kanda had both lived at the Asian Branch and was Japanese himself. He couldn't tell if Link could speak or understand it, but he knew he'd probably find out eventually.

"Well, when I was traveling with Mana there were a few times we met people at the circus or just on our travels that spoke it, and then when I was training under Master, I came across people that spoke it then too, and eventually I just started to pick it up." He shrugged. "It's a good thing too. There was one time I had to negotiate with someone who Master owed some money to that only spoke Japanese, and it saved me from being thrown to a group of tigers," he laughed with an almost blissful look. The others sweat dropped at the carefree way that he said it, as they often did when stories of Allen's past with Cross sprang up, before Bookman cast his old eyes on the white-haired youth.

"So, Allen, you said that you saw the sprite named Sakuya?" He ventured curiously. He nodded as he took another sip of his tea, sitting with his back against the wall to try and get as comfortable as possible despite his sore body.

"When I went after the Akuma that was attacking the Sacred Tree, I was knocked unconscious for a moment." He admitted sheepishly. "When I came to again, there was this woman floating in the air in front of me. She almost seemed…_unreal_." He said, emphasizing the last word after a brief pause. "She even told me her name was Sakuya, and she thanked me for protecting the Sacred Tree before she disappeared back inside it." He explained. He remembered her mentioning something about not being able to remain there much longer, hoping that she simply meant outside of the tree and not actually meaning gone for good.

"So, you saw the guardian sprite of Konohana?" Mr. Orange interjected thoughtfully, stroking his beard again thoughtfully. Allen nodded again as his gray hues shifted to the elderly man, disturbing Timcampy from its spot nestled on Allen's head.

"Very interesting. It has been a long time since anyone as old as a boy like you has seen her." Mr. Orange said. He noted the curious and somewhat confused look on his face and continued. "Sakuya is a guardian sprite that has been around since the time of my ancestor, one hundred years ago, even before Nagi and Shiranui slew the dreaded demon. Most of the time, only very young children see her, though sometimes she shows herself to those who have strong faith in the Gods'." He explained. Allen nodded in understanding before another question popped into his mind.

"Who are 'Nagi' and 'Shiranui'?" He asked carefully.

"The hero and the God I told you about, from the _Legend of Orochi_." Tanuki said from his spot across the room.

"Yeah, but that character can't actually be a God." Lavi shrugged. He yelped in pain as Bookman smacked him upside the head before returning his hands to his sleeves.

"You should never dismiss information without proving it wrong, first, stupid apprentice." Bookman scolded as Lavi rubbed the back of his head.

"That hurt…you old panda." Lavi complained before Bookman hit him with his panda claws, earning another whimper of pain.

"Don't call me an old panda!" The old man snapped irritably. Lavi grumbled something incoherent but otherwise kept his other thoughts to himself. Allen turned his curious eyes to Bookman as he said this. There couldn't possibly be truth to that, could there? Wasn't there only one true God? Of course, there were other religions, but the thought of another _real_ God hadn't crossed his mind as of yet, and never had he ever heard of a God actually appearing on earth in physical form as it seemed Bookman was implying.

Though Bookman didn't fail to notice this look, Allen's attention was turned away as Kushi walked by again, carrying bowls of food for each of them.

"_Here_." She said as she handed some to him. The teenager's eyes immediately lit up and he had to force himself not to snatch it up, despite that he was usually more modest as the gentleman his adopted father had taught him to be.

"FOOD~" He drooled, starting to scarf down his food like a starving wolf, earning a disgusted eye roll from Kanda.

"Learn to chew your food, not inhale it, Baka Moyashi." The swordsman growled with narrowed eyes. Allen made sure to swallow before shooting a glare back at him.

"It's _Allen_, BaKanda! I've told you that a thousand times, but I guess you're too stupid to get the hint." He hissed hotly. Kanda and Allen glared lightning at each other heatedly.

"You must have a death wish, Moyashi." Kanda growled, taking offence to the 'stupid' comment, more or less because it came from Allen in the first place. Lenalee stood with a disapproving look at both of them, hands on her hips.

"Both of you, knock it off." She ordered before it could escalate to anything physical. The two boys shot a final glare at each other before 'hmph'ing and looking away, Allen going back to his food with a ferocious appetite.

"Well, it has been a long time since I last saw or heard the story, but that shouldn't be a problem." Bookman said thoughtfully, earning another curious look from the others gathered. "Since it seems we have this predicament on our hands, it would probably be beneficial to all of us if you all heard it yourselves. I'm going to tell you all about Shiranui, Nagi, and the _Legend of Orochi_."

* * *

**Authors Note(2):** Yay, so the fight scenes are finally over, and a lot of you are probably already piecing together some of the things that are going on and being talked about, and in the next chapter, those of you who don't know about Ookami will get to read the _Legend of Orochi_ that's in the game. Not much else to say, but I'm not sure how long it'll be before I do another update on this story, as I still have to write and post Chapter 1 of a new Ookami story, _Inu Hana_, then Chapter 4 on my Ookami fix _Return of Yami_, Chapter 5 of my other Ookami fic, _Her Sacrifice_, and Chapter 1 of a new DGM fanfic I'll be doing called _Distortion_ which may or may not be worked on and posted on my collaboration account with my twin bro, though I still have to talk to him about it first. _THEN_ I'll work on Chapter 5 for this one.

Please leave a nice, juicy **REVIEW!** It'll help me get chapters done faster!

~Kit/Kou

Next Chapter: _White wolves and Cherry trees_


	5. White Wolves and Cherry Tree's

**Authors Note:** So sorry for the long wait for this chapter :( Been fairly busy lately, pet almost died(and we're still not sure if it'll make it), had lots of school stuff to do and work at home and I haven't really wanted to write much over the last week or two T_T Thanks to everyone who's been watching so far and thanks go out to _Allen the Musician_ for their reviews on chapters two through four and _lilanimefan247_ for their review on chapter 4!

This chapter is going to go a bit more in depth with the details of Amaterasu, Shiranui, and many other things, as well as the _Legend of Orochi_ from the actual Ookami game, though those of you who already know Ookami already know it. Also, this is going to switch over to the Ookami section for a few chapters when Chapter 6 is released, just so you all know :3 I think I'll do that for two to three chapters then switch it back to the D gray man section again and so on so forth.

Also, a little note to my watchers, for those of you who haven't noticed yet, I have update information and story information up on my profile, as well as a link in the title on my page for each story. So, if you're wondering about the status of any of my stories or how soon it's going to be updated, etc. that'd be the place to look. Now enough ramblings, on to Chapter 5!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own D Gray Man or Ookami, as they belong to Katsura Hoshino and Capcom(& clover studio despite that they are now gone… -sniff- )

* * *

**Of Divine Instruments and Innocence**

**A D Gray Man & Ookami Crossover**

**By: Kougetsu_KitsuneHinote_Hakuma**

**--------------**

**Chapter 5: White Wolves and Cherry Trees**

Bookman thought carefully for a moment as the group waited expectantly, the old man collecting his thoughts before he began.

"'_Long, long ago…_

'_A tiny hamlet known as Kamiki lay nestled in a grove of proud and beautiful cherry blossoms. Each and every tree around the quiet burg was honored as a god._

'_However, the village was not without its dark secrets. To satisfy the appetite of Orochi, a fearsome cave-dwelling beast, a young maiden was offered as a sacrifice at the annual festival. _

'_With a body like a mountain and eight heads mounted on necks the size of tree trunks, its blood red eyes alone were said to curse anyone who gazed into them. No one dared disobey the horrific beast.__'_

'_When the night of the sacrifice drew near…_

'_A mysterious white wolf appeared outside the village._

'_This wolf, its coat as brilliant as snow, was dubbed Shiranui. The wolf kept a watchful eye on anyone who ventured outside the village, and made a habit of patrolling the streets at night. People assumed the wolf to be a familiar of Orochi.__'_

'_One villager took it upon himself to face the fearsome Shiranui. The warrior Nagi attempted many times to challenge the wolf. But his attempts were thwarted by Shiranui's swift movements.__'_

'_Before long, the night of the accursed festival had arrived. A white plumed arrow heralded the coming sacrifice. Piercing the sky, the arrow sunk it's shaft squarely into the home of Nami, the village's most beautiful maiden. Nagi, harboring a secret love for Nami, was enraged by this sign. Determined to put an end to Orochi once and for all, Nagi traveled to the beasts cave in place of his beloved.__'_

'_The Moon Cave, a place as dark as evil itself, served as Orochi's home. As Nagi stood bravely before the entrance…_

'_A beast appeared, eyes glowing crimson upon eight thrashing necks. Orochi stood tall before him, anxious for another sacrifice. Nagi leapt with incredible grace, swinging his blade valiantly. On and on he sliced, well into the moonless night…_

'_But Orochi's hide was like steel. The blade left nary a scratch.__'_

'_At long last, Nagi, his energy spent from the intense battle, dropped to his knees, fatigued and gasping for breath. He knew he was staring death in the face. It was then that the white wolf appeared._

'_As if to protect Nagi, it stood its ground before Orochi. In the darkness of the cave, the wolf's coat shone brilliantly. Alas, it was Shiranui, the wolf that dwelled outside the village._

'_Baring its fearsome claws, Shiranui leapt toward Orochi. Orochi reared its terrifying heads, readying its fangs for battle. The two beasts struggled wildly, thrashing in the darkness.__'_

'_Mysterious and terrifying, the spectacle continued. Shiranui summoned gusts of Divine wind to counter Orochi's flames.__'_

'_As Orochi closed in on Shiranui, sharpened claws glistening…_

'_A gigantic tree suddenly sprouted forth, shielding the wolf._

'_Shiranui fought valiantly to gain the upper hand. However… Orochi, protected by a magical barrier, was not easily bested. Shiranui, covered in gashes, majestic coat dyed crimson, stood exhausted before the mighty Orochi.__'_

'_Orochi saw the chance to strike what would be the final blow, but Shiranui would not give in. With the last of its strength, the majestic wolf gazed heavenward and unleashed a mighty howl. Suddenly, the black clouds overhead dissipated. The light from above glinted off Nagi's sword as a beacon of hope.__'_

'_Guided by his sword, Nagi, who had been taking shelter in the shadows, stood proudly to face his adversary. Channeling all his strength into his scarred and battered arms, he leapt ferociously toward Orochi, his sword poised high. The golden sword danced in his hands like a puppet on a string. One by one, Orochi's fearsome heads separated from their owner.__'_

'_Orochi's broken body collapsed in a lake of its own blood. In that instant, the curse that plagued the villagers was lifted. As the battle subsided, the sun shone once again in the sky. Shiranui had succumbed to Orochi's poison and struggled to breath. Nagi scooped the beast into his arms and returned to Kamiki.__'_

'_When they reached the village, Shiranui was no longer moving. The village elder gently stroked the wolf's head. In response, Shiranui let out a hoarse and pitiful bark…_

'_Then closed its eyes and drifted off as if into slumber.__'_

'_Peace had once again returned to Kamiki Village. In honor of Shiranui's heroic exploits, the villagers erected a shrine and placed a statue of the wolf within it.'_

'_Nagi's sword was christened 'Tsukuyomi' and placed inside the Moon Cave. The villager's all looked forward to an age of endless peace.__'"_ Bookman finished, everyone in the room thoughtful as they listened. A moment of silence stretched on before Lavi finally decided to speak.

"Hey, hold on. How come I never heard this before, Gramps?" He asked, fairly curious to the reason. It seemed unusual since Bookman was always trying to cram all his knowledge into his successor, even things that were otherwise secret to almost everyone else.

"Well, at the time it was only a legend, and there were more pressing issues to deal with that I didn't find it very necessary until now." The old man replied, though the reasoning still seemed rather odd to the junior bookman. "Of course, with the turn of events recently, that'll have to change."

Allen looked at his reflection in his cup of tea thoughtfully, his thoughts going over the legend before trailing back to that night in China where Tyki Mikk had almost claimed his life, and the white wolf that had appeared, the one that Bak and the others at the Asian Branch had told him was probably just a figment of his imagination…

**.::** "_Invocate!_" Allen exclaimed, the particles of Innocence floating in the air swirling together into an opaque claw-like shape where his arm had been before. The arm part of it began to form just a ways away from his shoulder where it had formerly been attached, shifting together unstably as he struggled to get it to reform. After a moment of struggle the particles burst apart again and threw him back. The teenager gave a cry of surprise and pain as the back of his head hit one of the stone pillars behind him, back colliding with it and the stone floor as the particles of Innocence returned to what looked like fog.

"Owww…" Allen grumbled, sitting up and rubbing the back of his head with his heavily bandaged right hand. "…still a no-go…" He looked at the particles floating in the air with a slight scowl. "I can synchronize just fine, so why won't you turn back into a weapon?! Huh?! Innocence!!" He growled, frustration having set in some time ago as he looked back down with a sigh.

'_Even worse, it's starting to turn back into particles almost immediately. I can't even get it to form an arm-shaped weapon anymore.'_ He narrowed his eyes slightly as he gazed downward more, worried about his comrades outside the Asian branch, possibly fighting for their lives while he was stuck here. _'Just when I can't be wasting time here…damn it!! I have to hurry back to them.'_ He thought as the strange dream from before flashed through his mind, of Lenalee on top of the ruins, crying. _'I can't get that dream about Lenalee out of my mind…'_ He thought sullenly.

He suddenly remembered the white wolf from the bamboo grove and his dream and blinked, having almost forgotten about it. And then there was that strange person in the dream as well. He hadn't ever seen anyone that he could remember that was like that person, even if he hadn't seen exactly what they looked like.

_Just as you have your own path, he has his, oui, Amaterasu?_

He thought a moment to himself. _Amaterasu_? Who was that? The wolf? And then the man had said something about him having his own path, as if he somehow knew something about Allen…

He had so many questions about it, but he wasn't really sure exactly who to ask. It was something so bizarre and out of place, and he couldn't even figure out if that had all been a dream or if it was real. After a moment his thoughts went back to his friends and there was something about those words that struck a chord. He did have his own path, and he had to pursue it, which meant first he had to get his arm back and go help his friends.

Gathering his strength again, he jumped up resolutely.

"I'm not giving up! I'll invocate once more!!" He exclaimed, not noticing the figure walking up next to him in time to keep his head from colliding with them and knocking the man and his folder of papers to the floor. "Huh? Bak-san!!!" He cried, feeling somewhat guilty as the Asian branch leader sat up, nose bleeding thanks to their collision.

"That really hurt!" He cried.

"I'm sorry! I was thinking about something, so I didn't hear you come in, Bak-san." He apologized quickly.

"Take a break already, Walker! You haven't even slept for the past two days!!" Bak snapped.

"…but…" Allen began to protest, now noticing the scattered papers and quickly diving to organize them again. "I'm sorry Bak-san! I made a mess of your date files…" He stopped short, not quite sure what to make of Bak's 'date files' which consisted of a huge amount of pictures of Lenalee, all organized into plastic paper holders and arranged in a binder. Bak shrieked and pulled the pictures away with lightning speed while Allen merely looked at him in confusion.

"I'm not a stalker… I am absolutely, positively **not** a stalker." He tried to defend, holding the binder of Lenalee pictures to his chest.

"Do you like Lenalee?" Allen asked straightforwardly. Bak shied away slightly at that, eyes wide as his skin started to break out into little red spots. "Bak-san!?" Allen cried, not sure what was wrong with him.

"Don't look! Wh-when the Great Me gets extremely agitated, I break out into hives! Don't LOOOOOOOOOOOOK!" Bak cried, moving away.

"Wait…someone help!!"

* * *

"The equipment-type and parasite-type invocate differently? Is that possible?" Allen asked, tilting his head slightly in question as Bak lay in a futon that Wong had set up, a wet rag across his forehead, while Allen sweat-dropped. It just seemed a little much for something as small as hives.

"Yes, it's something that is based on the senses. The anti-Akuma weapon that parasite-types have come from the Innocence that dwells within their body, correct?"

"Yes."

"However, the conformers with the equipment-type do not have the same physical connection with their Innocence." Bak explained. "In addition, it is difficult for the Innocence in equipment-types to be mastered. Even synchronized, the mighty strength of the Innocence is hard to keep in check. That is why we 'alter' the Innocence into anti-Akuma weapons. The weapon form restrains Innocence's power, and it enables the conformers to synchronize with it more easily. In this way, equipment-types are able to synchronize with a weapon they've created and invocate." Allen nodded slightly, carefully following along with what Bak was saying.

"But the parasite-types synchronize with the raw, unaltered form of Innocence. Excuse me for saying this… but the parasite-type conformers are like weapons, restraining the power of the Innocence within their own bodies. They are the anti-Akuma weapons." Allen narrowed his eyes slightly, looking down with a thoughtful expression in his gray eyes.

"…I'm a weapon…?" He repeated.

"I only said that to make it easier for you to understand. You're definitely human… but for us, when we turned Innocence into an anti-Akuma weapon… we began by first understanding that Innocence. By uncovering which shape, nature, and function would best suite its abilities. We develop a 'style' for it. It's possible that you still do not know your own Innocence very well. I've been thinking that the reason why you are unable to invocate is because you do not have a 'style' that matches your Innocence's abilities." He paused to cough, Wong fretting over him almost hysterically.

"Bak-sama, hang in there!"

'_It's just hives…isnt' it…?'_ He thought with a sweat-drop before looking down thoughtfully.

"I…don't know my Innocence…huh?" He thought aloud as Bak sat up.

"Unfortunately time is precious, and you can't spend it leisurely trying to understand you're Innocence. We'll have to take drastic measures." He said, standing. Allen hesitated a moment before deciding to pose a question that had been lingering in the back of his mind for a while.

"Um…there's something I've been meaning to ask… that I was hoping you might be able to answer." He said. Bak looked at him for a moment before nodding.

"Go ahead." Allen looked down in thought a moment, trying to figure out how to word what he wanted to ask.

"When my arm was destroyed by the Noah, after he left I think I saw a wolf…" He said carefully. Bak thought a moment carefully.

"Well, that _is_ a bit strange…there aren't any wolves in this area that I've seen…" He said slowly, not entirely sure where this was going.

"Well…I don't know if…maybe it was a dream or not…but I thought a white wolf approached me…one with red markings…and what looked like a…talking bug riding on its nose." He said, scrunching his eyebrows slightly as he tried to recall it, realizing it probably sounded like something out of a dream and not reality. "And I think that I was dreaming before and saw it there…and someone called it…Ame…Ami…" He tried to remember exactly what it was for a moment before it came to him. "…Amaterasu?" He looked at Bak and didn't fail to notice a glimmer of shock that the man quickly hid away. "Who…or…what…is that?" He asked, getting the feeling that both the men before him knew something. After a carefully thoughtful moment and a quick glance Bak and Wong looked back to Allen.

"Not sure. Sounds like it was probably just a dream. Sometimes your head comes up with weird stuff, especially in the condition you were in." Bak lied smoothly. "Just a trick of the imagination is all it probably was." Allen nodded, though he still felt like the man wasn't being completely truthful before following him.**::.**

Allen blinked slowly before looking up from his tea, setting his steel colored hues on Bookman.

"Does… 'Shiranui'…does the wolf go by any other names?" He ventured curiously, several gazes shifting to him, which of course he didn't fail to miss the brief flash of curiosity on Bookman's face as he posed this question.

"Not that I'm aware of. Any particular reason you asked?" Bookman probed. After a brief moment of thought Allen decided to share his thoughts.

"Well…remember when we were all in China…when I had to stay at the Asian Branch because of my encounter with Tyki?" He began thoughtfully. "I think I might've had some kind of dream or something about it just after it happened…but it wasn't called 'Shiranui'…" He said thoughtfully. Mr. Orange stroked his beard as he thought about Allen's inquisition.

"Well…it is indeed possible…after all Shiranui is only what the people called it when it appeared…" He thought aloud.

"And what exactly happened in this dream of yours?" Bookman asked carefully. Allen thought a moment to himself, looking down at his cup and trying to recall everything from the dream. It had been a few months and he hadn't thought about it since that discussion with Bak.

"Well…I'm not sure if all of it was a dream or not… when I was in the bamboo grove in China…I think that it was there and it came up to me…before Fo rescued me of course." He reminisced, blinking as he continued to gaze down into his tea. "And there was this little…talking bug or something on it's nose…"

"Che… no, you're just insane, Moyashi." Kanda growled, deciding to throw in his two cents. Allen growled and instantly turned a glaring gaze toward the swordsman.

"Nobody asked for your opinion, _BaKanda_, and it's 'Allen'! A-L-L-E-N!" He retorted hotly.

"I don't need your approval to speak, _Moyashi_." Kanda returned with just as much force.

"It's _ALLEN_!" He snarled. The two glared heatedly before Bookman decided to regain their attention, clearing his throat.

"You said that there was what looked like a tiny bug on the wolf's nose?" Bookman inquired, Allen giving him a brief nod of confirmation. "Well, there's no guarantee this is correct…but the thing you saw riding on the wolf may not have been a bug, but a sprite. Just as the one you know as Sakuya is a sprite, there are others as well, although they are different kinds. In legends, sprites have always been made out to be special beings in nature, some more powerful then others, but for the most part, they're always good. I do not know exactly what type of sprite it would be, but I have heard of some that hail from this land. You said that you thought you saw it in the bamboo grove _and_ in a dream?"

"Yes." Allen nodded, thinking back to that day. "…It was just after Tyki tried to kill me…when Fo found me I think, before I woke up again in the Asian Branch." He said thoughtfully.

"Would you like to tell us about it?" Bookman pressed mildly when the boy seemed to have lost himself in thought. Allen quickly recounted parts of the dream, including the part about the 14th despite that back then he didn't know anything about it, since he had discovered the secret of the 14th's implanted memories after they had returned from the Ark, and the white wolf and mysterious man. Bookman was thoughtful as Allen finished before turning his old eyes back on the silver-haired youth.

"So you said that the man in your dream called the wolf 'Amaterasu'?" Allen nodded again, getting the impression that the name was familiar to him, while Mr. Orange seemed rather taken aback.

"Is that the name of someone or…something…important?" Allen inquired curiously.

"Amaterasu is the name of the sun goddess of all of Nippon." Mr. Orange explained in a rustic voice. Allen blinked several times, not having expected it to be something as high as a god, even though he didn't entirely believe in one other than his own.

"But it was a wolf…" Allen began. "Not to sound like I know a lot about that…but don't most 'gods' look…human?" He ventured a bit weakly.

"Well in a lot of cultures, gods can take on the form of animals." Lenalee stated.

"It's true." Lavi backed, having taken great interest in the conversation. He was rather eager to learn all about the things about Japan's legends and other such information, though it'd probably have to wait until another day, seeing as it was already late and curious or not, he was still tired from the battle with the Akuma.

"In most of our legends, gods' such as Amaterasu are described as having a human appearance…" Mr. Orange thought aloud. "…however, it wouldn't be unheard of for such gods' to take on a different form if they choose, but perhaps the two that you thought you saw… 'Shiranui' and 'Amaterasu'…are two different entities." Allen gazed at the man for a moment before looking off into space. 'Shiranui' and 'Amaterasu'… were they really two separate beings, or the same?

* * *

The night air was cold, the village still and quiet as the cicadas and crickets chirped, filling the night with a quiet, steady chirping. The pale-skinned man walked up to the large cherry tree sitting at the very peak of the village, a wood bucket swinging slightly in one hand as he approached it, kneeling down by the roots and pouring the clear water from it around the base of the tree before stepping back expectantly. After a moment a pinkish-white light drifted out from inside the wood of the Sakura tree, turning into a woman. The figure was dressed in a cherry pink kimono with a mantel of lavender mist, an obi around the female's waist. Her black hair came down in two long strips in the front, like pig-tails, and the rest of her hair was tied into a round bun just behind her head, a crown of Sakaki leaves tied into her hair.

"Waka…long has it been since I last saw you. And thank you for looking out for Konohana and I." She stated, her gaze flicking to the moist ground where the water was.

"Mon plaisir, think nothing of it." Waka replied. "You seemed to need a little pick-me-up, oui? Queen Himiko was generous enough to allow me to bring you some of the blessed water from the Palace spring."

"Then please, give my thanks and regards to her the next time you see her." Sakuya said gratefully. "I was not sure how much longer I would have lasted. I'm indebted to you and Queen Himiko." Waka held up his hand as if to show her that it was no big deal.

"S'il vous plait, that isn't necessary. We all must do our part, and this is mine." He insisted.

"Alright." She conceded. "Do you know anything new yet about Mother Amaterasu or where she is?" Waka gave a tired sigh and leaned with his back against the shrine gate for Konohana.

"Unfortunately I do not. I'm afraid she is beyond my sights right now, as are so many other things…" He trailed off slightly, having a hard time dealing with such a thing. He hated feeling so in the dark about what was yet to happen when he had been able to see it all before hand, clear as day.

"Yes, it seems that the fates are twisting…" Sakuya admitted. "We need Mother Amaterasu if there is to be any hope for us, although, perhaps not all is lost…" She held a thoughtful look for a long time, gazing at Waka as the man also seemed to be considering something to himself.

"You're talking about the strangers that appeared just today, are you not?" Waka ventured, tilting his head slightly with a curious note to his voice.

"Yes. One even protected me from a terrible demon, almost at the cost of his life." She explained, thinking back to the day's earlier events. "He was a young child, yet he seemed like he knew the taste of war all too well…" She said solemnly.

"Are you worried for him?" Waka asked. It was not unusual for the guardian sprite to be worried for the people of the land, but she seemed to have a special thoughtfulness about her as she spoke about the white-haired boy.

"Perhaps a little…" She admitted. "He seems to have a special quality to him…almost like one blessed by the God's, and he has a great inner strength in his eyes, yet they hold so much sorrow, as if he holds the weight of the world on his shoulders. It makes me think of _him_." Waka's gaze swept to the female sprite with a keen interest and understanding at that, his arms crossed over his chest leisurely.

"Yes, but that was one hundred years ago. He has been long since dead…" Waka reminded softly. "Just as Amaterasu had her own battle, he too had his. Fate isn't always fair, but it's the way things are. Still…I wonder what would have been had he only survived and fulfilled his wish." The Tao Master wondered aloud. "But enough of that…it would do you well to get some rest, ma cherie. Unfortunately, there's no telling how long it will be before Amaterasu returns. I'll be back to check on you some time soon." He suggested after a moments pause. She nodded in agreement, her energy still low despite that the blessed water had helped her some.

"My deepest thanks for all you've done, Waka. May the fresh scent of flowers protect you always." She said before she was engulfed in light, the sphere returning to the inside of the tree. Waka pushed off the shrine gate, a somewhat sorrowful look in his eyes as he took a few steps toward the tree, placing a hand to its side with a soft touch.

"Of course, ma cherie. You stay strong as well." He spoke aloud before disappearing in a flash of light.

* * *

The group had been discussing for a long time about the Legend of Orochi, Allen's supposed meeting with the white wolf, and many other related legends and stories until they began to grow tired, everyone exhausted from the day's events and looking forward to getting a good nights sleep. Kushi walked around the Japanese home, collecting the dishes and cups from the food and drinks that she'd given out to them earlier.

"…Um…what was it again…?" Krory asked uncertainly, looking to Lavi and Lenalee.

"It's 'Arigatou'." Lenalee reminded kindly. Krory brightened slightly and looked to Kushi as she came around to retrieve his dishes.

"Arigatou." He said, offering her a grateful smile.

"Douitashimashite." She replied with a curt nod, taking his eating utensils and such before moving on to take the others plates. A confused and uncertain expression crossed Krory's face and he looked to Lenalee and Lavi for help.

"She said 'you're welcome'." Lavi offered.

"So do we know where each of us is going to be staying or sleeping at?" Lenalee asked to no one in particular, looking around the room.

"Kushi has agreed to allow a few of you to stay at her home, and the rest are allowed to stay at my home for the night." Mr. Orange offered.

"I think Lavi and I shall stay here tonight." Bookman said aloud, hands hiding in his sleeves.

"I propose that Lenalee and Krory stay with the young lady. Walker and I can stay here for the night." Link said, shuffling a stack of papers that he had been working on into a neat pile and missing the slight groan Allen gave when his 'watchdog' volunteered where he'd be sleeping.

"Kuma-kira and I can stay with Kushi as well." Tanuki added, reclining against the wall with his arms folded behind his head.

"Che…I'll stay with the girl." Kanda threw in, looking to avoid being stuck in a small hut with Allen and Lavi.

"Awe…how come Yuu-chan gets to stay with the pretty lady?" Lavi whined.

"Baka usagi, do _not_ call me that!" Kanda snapped, casting a glare of death at the red-head while Kushi stifled a giggle behind her hand and sleeve, not really understanding most of it except the names, since both seemed to have given each other nicknames, from what she could tell.

"Because BaKanda doesn't have the same intentions that you obviously have, Lavi…" Allen pointed out blankly.

"How can you say that, Moyashi-chan?" Lavi pouted.

"_Allen_!" The albino teen corrected snappishly.

"Well, now that we know where each of us is going to sleep, we should discuss our next move." Link stated aloud. Allen held a thoughtful expression for a moment before pushing himself up.

"I think I'm going to go outside and get some air…" He announced. "Just tell me what you decide later." He said, walking past them, barely catching a faint glance from Kanda as the teen went by him. Lenalee cast a slightly worried look after him but otherwise made no move to follow or stop him.

* * *

Allen sighed as he exited the hut, letting his façade of happiness and indifference drop once he was away from the others. Keeping up a mask to hide his troubles had become second nature up to this point whenever he was around anyone else, especially his friends, but he often let it slip whenever he could find some time to himself. Even if it had become something of a habit that he held up rather well, it still wore away at him, to the point that he sometimes just wanted to get rid of his little game of pretend, but he dared not whenever this thought came to mind because it made him remember exactly why he'd put it up in the first place.

Ambling away from Mr. Orange's house, he stopped at the edge of the water that all but surrounded the village and flopped onto the ground, running a hand through his silky, white hair with a deep breath, his mind mulling over everything they had been talking about. Mr. Orange and Bookman's words had set his thoughts rolling and he knew he'd only be stuck and unable to sleep until he got his thoughts sorted out.

He recalled the night in China again, thinking back to when the white wolf approached him and it's wise, golden eyes. The moment he'd gazed into them he had been enchanted by the depth and emotion to them, as if he would learn the world's secrets if he only gazed into them long enough. Yet they'd held a look of sorrow, pity, and longing. He somehow knew the pity was the wolf's emotions toward him, as if it wanted to help. Thinking about it, he recalled the bug-like figure mentioning something about that after it had approached him. What the other emotions, the sorrow and longing were for, he wasn't very sure.

He vaguely started to wonder, if that had indeed been a god of Japan, what had it been doing all the way across the sea, in China? And then there was the time in the Asian Branch just before Allen had gone to train with Fo to control his Innocence. Bak and Wong had known something all along, of that he was certain, but why they'd felt the need to hide it he wasn't sure. There had to have been a good reason for it, he just wasn't seeing it.

And then there was the beast that everyone referred to as 'Orochi'. The legend had described it as a large creature with eight heads and he had to wonder if this Orochi thing was related at all to Akuma or the Noah's. After all, that was the only explanation for such a creature to exist, wasn't it? Everything unusual he had ever come across was caused by or had something to do with either Innocence, Akuma, or the Clan of Noah. Either way, it didn't really matter. It was only a legend after all and if this Orochi thing ever existed in the past, it was gone now.

His next thoughts trailed to the wasteland just outside the village, engulfed in a shifting mass of black and red, which Tanuki had referred to as a 'Cursed Zone'. At first he figured it was another trick by the Earl and the Noah's, since they always seemed to have something new up their sleeve.

'**Mind you, boy…that isn't the work of my brother.'** The 14th chimed, deciding to break into his train of thought. Allen scowled, not at all happy that the traitor Noah was talking to him and his gaze fell on the black shadow reflected behind him in the water. At the same time though, he was fairly curious as to what he might know and with great reluctance and caution, decided to see if he could find anything out from him.

'_If it's not the Earl's doing, then who's is it?'_ He challenged mentally, since the others would probably either think him mad for 'talking to himself' or realize who he was talking to and that would only lead to more problems with the Order, especially with Leverrier around.

'**Couldn't say for sure…but it's definitely something powerful. You should really watch out around here. You're not dealing with just Akuma anymore.'** The 14th said with his eternal grin.

'_What do you mean by that?'_ Allen ventured. The Noah's words were troubling him slightly despite himself, hoping that they wouldn't run into anything too dangerous. They already had enough to worry about as it was now, with Akuma and Noah's. They really didn't need more problems at the moment.

'**If you think the only demons out there are Akuma, then you're mistaken. This country is rather well known for it's monsters and such.'**

'_Like what?'_ Allen probed. He hoped for his and his friends' sakes that there was nothing out there too bad, like with how strong the Level fours were, but he had a feeling there were worse things to fear then that.

'**Lots of things…though you'll probably see them soon enough.'** The 14th answered simply.

'_Not exactly the answer I was looking for…'_ Allen mentally growled. Getting the impression he wasn't going to get anymore answers out of the Noah, he tuned him out and gazed at himself in the water, idly wondering if the fact that the 14th was actually actively talking to him now if that meant that he was starting to lose control. After all the 14th had already taken him over once before, even if it was for but a fleeting moment, and the thought made his gut twist in dread.

For a long time he'd been saying how the 14th would never take him over and he would stay in control, keep his promises to his friends and Mana, but in the back of his mind he somehow figured that over time he would eventually lose himself. By now it had been more of an effort to destroy the Earl before that happened, and try to hold him off from seizing his body until he'd fulfilled that promise. After that, he wasn't so sure what was going to happen. And if he did face off against the Earl, even if he won he realized there was probably a low chance of him surviving the battle, but he somehow felt that by then it wouldn't matter, so long as the Earl fell and they won the war.

The cold of the night sent a shiver through him and broke him out of his thoughts, the white-haired exorcist deciding to call it a night. Standing, he stretched skyward with his arms above his head, grimacing slightly at the mild pain in his body before turning back toward Mr. Orange's house. He was surprised to see Kanda standing near the door, leaning against a large boulder beside the house with his arms crossed and his eyes closed. Allen paused and tilted his head slightly in question, making the swordsman open his eyes as he heard Allen stop near him.

"What are you looking at, Moyashi?" He growled, though he was obviously worn out, his voice lacking its usual threatening, 'Get-the-fuck-away-from-me' attitude.

"What are you doing out here?" Allen questioned with a slight tilt of his head.

"Che…that damn rabbit was being annoying again." Kanda snorted, closing his eyes again with a look of irritation. The Japanese teen was never in the mood for dealing with Lavi, but he especially didn't want to have to deal with the red head when he was tired from the battle and looking to get some relaxation before the next morning. Something he'd never get being stuck around the junior Bookman. "And what's with that look?" He demanded steadily. Allen blinked at him several times, not quite sure what he meant.

"Look?"

"That stupid look on your face." Kanda snorted. "It's like looking at some stupid whining puppy or something. The Akuma didn't smack you around that much, did they?" He sneered. Allen blinked several more times, realizing that he hadn't yet hidden his emotions from his thoughts not even five minutes ago, with him being rather exhausted and out of sorts, and not having expected to bump into the samurai out here. Of course, he also never expected for Kanda to make such a remark, since the older teen always hated him to no end and didn't give a rats ass about such things that Allen had ever seen. If he didn't know better, or know how antisocial and pissy he was, he would almost think that Kanda somehow _cared_.

"_What_?" Kanda snapped, starting to get irate over the fact that Allen had been staring at him for almost the last minute. Allen shook his head.

"Nothing. Guess I'm just really tired is all." He lied smoothly.

"Che…then get some sleep." Kanda barked, turning his head away before muttering, "Baka Moyashi." Allen gazed at him for another moment before smiling slightly. It was a small smile but despite his other multiple feelings it was genuine.

"Yeah, you're probably right…" Allen agreed quietly, heading back to the village elder's home. He paused just outside the door, looking over at his annoyed comrade. "'Night, Kanda."

"Che."

* * *

**Authors Note(2):** Whoo~ Fluff. Yeah, I decided to put a more friendly scene in there between Allen and Kanda. I mean, maybe he's pissy and all, but Kanda isn't as completely heartless as he tries to lead on. It's the Order's fault he's like that anyway…

Some of you might be wondering about who the 'he' is that Waka and Sakuya are talking about, but you'll just have to find out in later chapters, unless some of you want to take a guess…though I can't guarantee I'll tell you even if its right 8) I decided to make it so that Mr. Orange can understand and speak a bit of English, since he IS the village elder and really old, like probably seventy or something like that, and I decided to throw a bit of stuff with Allen and the 14th talking in here, even though that wasn't my original plan. So occasionally I'll throw something like that in there, mostly for plot and just 'cause the 14th is just that awesome. Lol

I guess I made Allen kind of emo in here but whatever… Tanuki didn't really get as much attention in this chapter but he'll have a few good scenes in here later, I promise. Going to go into a bit more explanation and slower scenes next chapter and get back to some of the other characters, like Rao hopefully next chapter.

Now, enough of that. Please READ and **REVIEW!!!** **REVIEW!!!** **REVIEW!!!** At least once if you read this, purdy please????

Next Chapter: Solace

~Kit/Kou


	6. Solace

**Authors Note:** Sorry for the late update, but I've finally gotten to finishing this! This is a bit of a shorter chapter but I wanted to delve a little bit more into the character's and have Allen do a bit of soul-searching so… didn't mean to have to wait so long for finishing this but I've had a long few weeks lately. Anyway, not much else to say except here's chapter 6!

**Edit: **I don't know why but Fanfic doesn't seem to like keeping my dividers in recently XP So I added some in that will HOPEFULLY show up…

**Disclaimer:** I do not own, nor shall I ever own Ookami or DGM. Though that would be cool…

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

**Of Divine Instruments and Innocence**

**A D Gray-Man & Ookami Crossover**

**By: Kougetsu_KitsuneHinote_Hakuma**

**Chapter 6: Solace**

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"Che…remind me why _we_ have to do this?" Kanda growled, narrowing his eyes in annoyance. Lavi paused in his work to wipe a bead of sweat from his brow, his red hair hanging down over his face, the green bandana that usually held it up having been taken off, along with his uniform so that he had a more plain black shirt on instead.

"Well, unfortunately for us because Japan is a secluded country and tries not to get too mixed up in the affairs of other countries, not to mention the fact that about ninety percent of the population was Akuma a few months ago, the Order can't simply send a bunch of money for repairs here. Plus, it's not like even if they had the money that they would be able to get much help right now." Lavi explained with ready ease. "And even if they could, the areas outside here are consumed by those Curse Zone things, so a carpenter wouldn't be able to get here from the capital city, so we have to be the carpenters instead."

The Bookman-in-training sat on a wood beam for the water-wheel hut that had been previously destroyed by the level Four's, a satchel of tools slung around his belt and Iron Hammer in his hand.

"Not to mention, BaKanda, that they were courteous enough to let us stay in their homes for the night." Allen retorted. The early dawn sun bathed the landscape in a bright yellow-tinted light. "Or is sawing wood and pounding nails too difficult of a job for you?" Kanda merely growled low in his throat and went back to hammering, muttering incoherent curses under his breath. Allen paused and stretched his arms over his head with a slight yawn, a good line of bandages running down his right arm and around his forehead. Tanuki and his canine companion had left some time during the night though they weren't sure when he left or where he went to. Lenalee and Krory had taken to helping Mrs. Orange with things around the village while Link had gone to help fix the torn up turnip field, courtesy of Allen's volunteering him, owned by a rotund woman in the village living between Mr. Orange's and Kushi's house.

After a moment's pause Allen went back to hammering a beam in place, holding a few nails between his pursed lips as he worked.

"Hey, Moyashi-chan!" Lavi quipped.

Allen let the nails fall into his palm before returning, "It's Allen!" Lavi merely waved him off.

"Toss me that bag down there, would you? I need one of the tools out of there." Allen looked behind him to a well-worn bag filled with a few tools that had been gathered to help rebuild some of things destroyed by the Akuma. Picking it up with both hands, Allen slung it up toward the junior Bookman. Unfortunately, as Lavi went to grab it, he missed and the whole thing came down on Kanda's head. The Japanese teen cursed and gripped his head where the heavy tools had landed and after recovering, whipped around to face Allen.

"Watch what you're doing, Baka Moyashi!" Kanda snarled, a vein bulging along his forehead.

"That was my ba-" Lavi began, trying to smooth over the situation. Unfortunately, he wasn't quick enough.

"Maybe you should just be more alert, BaKanda. You can see an Akuma coming but not a simple tools bag? All I can say is, good thing you have a thick skull." Allen retorted. "I can't say there's much brains in there though."

"Coming from the coordinated monkey that that threw the bag in the first place." Kanda sneered in return.

"Yeah, a 'coordinated monkey' that beat you, Fem-face." Allen retorted. "You know you'd look less lady-like if you shaved your head."

"Guys…" Lavi tried to intercede.  
"Not if I shave yours first." Kanda growled, drawing Mugen from its sheath in one fluid motion.

"Bring it on, BaKanda. I can take you any day of the week." He returned, the two glaring lightning at each other. After a moment Kanda lunged forward with Mugen while Allen activated Crown Clown in a whirl of white and leapt at the older male with his claw.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Allen and Kanda both growled low in their throats as they worked at opposite ends of the building they were rebuilding. Their fight had been interrupted by Lenalee and broken up, much to both their irritation, though Kanda was obviously more pissed about it.

**.::**_"I'm going back to helping Mrs. Orange, so both of you behave until the work is done." Lenalee scolded, her hands on her hips while Kanda and Allen glared heatedly at each other before both simultaneously looked away and stomped to opposite ends of the hut, hoping to avoid and ignore each other for as long as humanly possible._**::.**

Allen paused with a slight sigh and wiped his forehead, his arms starting to hurt again from the work. He looked up at Lavi who was still doing work on the support beams and the roof.

"I'm gonna go take a break." He announced.

"'Kay, don't be too long, Moyashi-chan!" Lavi jibed.

"'Allen'!" The teen corrected huffily before dropping his tools and making his way away from the area that they were building in. Link noticed his charge walking past in the direction of the Sacred Tree and moved to follow, only to be grabbed by the back of the collar by the robust woman.

"Oh no you don't! You're going to stay here and finish fixing my turnip field!" She fumed. Not wanting to let his charge out of his sight, he turned his gaze back to Allen with an obvious 'help me' look.

"Walker…" He called, a slight warning tone to his voice. Allen just chuckled and shook his head.

"Sorry, Link. Nothing I can do." He replied innocently, not really wanting his break to be made unpleasant by having the man hovering over his shoulder. It wasn't as if he was leaving the village or anything, after all. "I won't be far." He tossed over his shoulder, resolving to ignore any more warning from him as he walked up the path. It was a short walk up the hill before Allen reached the wood platform overlooking the village, flopping into a criss-cross sitting position with a deep huff, gazing over at the sacred tree thoughtfully. His mind mulled over everything that had been happening over the last few months, especially over the current events and that white wolf. The villager's knew it as 'Shiranui', the wolf that had defeated the demon Orochi. And then there was that wolf he saw in China. The bug on its nose had called it 'Ammy', if he remembered correctly. Then there was the dream, where he had seen the white wolf, but it had been called 'Amaterasu'.

Come to think of it…the wolf in his dream looked somewhat different then the one in China. In fact, it didn't look entirely like any wolf he'd ever heard of or seen. Wing-like appendages sprouted out along its paws and shoulders, and he vaguely remembered strange items that had been hovering over its back. Some were reminiscent of bead necklaces while others looked like odd disks, and the rest were something like swords. Not to mention it had had swirling red markings over its face and back, with red accents along the wing-like appendages and the tail.

The legend mentioned a white wolf, not a white and red one. But then he wasn't exactly sure a one-hundred year old legend would include that sort of detail.

Then, of course, there was the fact that the white wolf had been in China. How exactly had it gotten there? And why? Perhaps they could ask that sprite, Sakuya. But then, was she even there anymore? Maybe she couldn't tell them? If that was the case, then they had just wasted a bunch of time and energy with no leads to go off of.

Growling in frustration, Allen ran his hands through his silver hair before huffing and dropping his hands into his lap. His thoughts were interrupted as he heard wood thunking against wood and turned to see the village elder, Mr. Orange approaching.

"Something on your mind, young man?" He ventured in a husky voice.

"Not really." Allen lied non-challantly, offering him what he hoped was a convincing smile. He yelped as the bottom end of the man's walking stick was thrust in his face, just short of hitting him.

"Now don't lie to an old man like me. I've been around long enough to tell when a young one like you isn't telling the truth." He scolded. Allen sighed in defeat. He had to admit, the guy was more inquisitive than he looked.

"Just thinking about what we were discussing last night…" Allen admitted.

"It's more than just that. You can tell me if you wish. I certainly don't bite." He chuckled slightly and Allen found himself chuckling along with him.

"Well…like I said last night, I think I might've seen that white wolf in China a few months ago. I'm not certain if I really saw it or it was just a dream…but I don't think so…The one in China was certainly white, and had red markings, but they were different from the markings of the one in my dream." He sighed and shook his head. "I honestly don't know what to make of it…" Mr. Orange nodded thoughtfully and stroked his beard.

"I see…"

"And then…there's this whole thing with legendary demons and sprites…I didn't even know those sorts of things existed until now."

"Well I suppose finding out such things all so suddenly would be confusing for you. Much of it may not even seem very real. Is that how you feel?" Allen thought a moment before nodding in confirmation.

"I just don't really see how nature sprites, wolf gods, and giant multi-headed demons can really be real…" Allen admitted with a slightly incredulous look.

"Well you said before that you were knocked out by that Akuma thing, did you not?" Mr. Orange ventured. Allen only nodded. "Well an Akuma is a 'demon', isn't it?" Allen was thoughtful a moment again before nodding silently. "And yet you sit here and think that a 'demon' such as that of our legends cannot exist? Are they such different creatures?" Allen once again looked thoughtful before nodding a third time.

"I suppose when you put it that way…" He agreed, trailing off slightly.

"And Sakuya herself appeared in front of you and protected you, and the demon called 'Akuma' saw it as well, so it couldn't have been a simple trick of your own mind, could it?" Allen nodded slowly before finding the old man's cane once again thrust in his face. "You should really put that young brain of yours to more use then if you need to hear it from an old man like me! Kids these days…take too much for granted and don't use their heads…" He grumbled, returning the end of his cane to the wood of the platform.

"…Um…s-sorry?" Allen apologized with obvious confusion and uncertainty. The old man seemed satisfied with this and gazed back over at the Sacred Tree.

"There is something else on your mind." Mr. Orange stated. After a few seconds of silence Allen nodded.

"After she appeared, one of the things she said to me was, '_I have not the strength to remain here much longer'_. I'm worried she might've meant that she would disappear. Forever." He admitted heavily. The thought that she may have ended up dying to protect him made the teen feel incredibly guilty and he highly hoped that she hadn't thrown her life away.

"You shouldn't worry so. After all, Konohana still stands strong. So long as the Guardian Tree survives, so too should Sakuya. Their lives are connected to one another, so if Sakuya were to die, so too would the tree, as it would lose its divine power. Although I won't lie, she's definitely seen better days." Allen listened to Mr. Oranges words and they brought him a slight measure of comfort, if only just a little. Which also made him rather grateful for the old man's presence and words. Feeling a bit better with that, Allen gazed back toward the tree. So long as the tree and Sakuya were still alive, then they had a chance.

Now they just had to keep moving forward.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

A light layer of snow crunched underfoot, the peaks of Taka Pass rising far above the valley below. Rao stopped on a ledge and tentatively took a step toward the cliff edge, inclining her head a bit so as to see below. Even from her current height it was incredibly easy to see the wasteland created by the Cursed Zone below, the ugly mass of shifting black and red over barren, lifeless ground. The only notable thing left on the landscape was an old house, though the curse still had a hold on it. Although she was high up and there was snow on the mountain peaks, it wasn't too cold, as far as wind went.

The air was deathly still, as though the wind itself had died. Which was very unusual. Taka Pass was known for its divine wind which even swept through the lower valley. The air had grown stagnant, and Rao's gaze traveled to another somewhat distant peak, a tall structure poking out of the cliffs. It was a large windmill, which was famous across Nippon. It was a large shrine built in honor of the wind god, but it seemed that the curse of _THAT_ demon had halted the power of that god. Just as it had with the other thirteen. After all, when the famous Shiranui died after the fearsome battle against Orochi one-hundred years ago, the wolf's power was split apart into all the gods of Nippon. But now it seemed that power was fading.

Rao's attention was taken away from her thoughts as a crackling snarl ripped through the air and a pair of monkey-like creatures snarled and hopped down the rocks, paper masks over their faces and lute's strung across their backs. The Red Imps crept towards her with bloodlust evident in every sound and movement they made. Not at all intimidated, Rao pulled a stack of paper slips from her kimono sleeve, a large eye and a few characters written on each of them with a calligraphy brush. As the first of the two Imps lunged toward her, she threw one of the paper slips expertly, her movements a blur.

As the slip found its target, the seal magic on it began its work immediately. A ring of mystical symbols appeared around the demon, lightning crackling through the air and coursing along the Imp's body. It gave a guttural shriek of agony as it stumbled backwards before collapsing on its back, bursting into a large flower before it disappeared into the air. The second Imp snarled maliciously and pulled the lute from it's back.

Pulling back, the Imp sent the large instrument twirling toward her, but she easily jumped up onto another ledge just a couple feet above before throwing a second Prayer Slip, successfully hitting it. It suffered the same fate as the first and Rao sighed idly and dusted her clothes off. Low level demons like those never picked their fights very well against people like her. Retrieving her slips, she placed them back into her sleeve, continuing on her path. It wasn't long before she came across a river below that was consumed by the curse, the water turned murky and brown in color. It was the river of Agata Forest. Turning her head, she decided her path and continued onward, toward Shinsho Field and Kamiki Village.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Amaterasu sneezed before stopping with a noise that was something like an indignant grumble, swiping her nose with her paw and wrinkling her maw in distaste. Despite the fact that they were still a good distance from a ship port that was a bit further north of them, she could still smell the foul stench of different alcoholic beverages that was wafting from pubs and the many people walking around, the fish and other such foods being sold by street vendors, foreign spices of all kinds and strengths, and countless other unknown scents that were burning her senses.

Not to mention the scent of unwashed, sweaty deckhands, crewmembers, and other such water-going men who probably hadn't washed in a year filling up the streets. Not that she or her pint-sized companion ever took baths either but unlike those humans, Amaterasu didn't smell.

The original idea had been to hop onto a boat somehow and hitch a ride back to her home country. But there were several problems with that.

One: There were countless ships of all kinds with no clear sign as to where they were headed or how long it would take to get there.

Two: There was no way she could slip into town inconspicuously and find anyone willing to take them aboard whatever ship was headed for Nippon without trouble of some sort arising. Especially with her being a snow white wolf in China. She was fairly sure some greedy person would try and make some profit of that.

Three: She couldn't exactly ask or negotiate herself, having to depend on her bug-sized companion, Issun. And Issun was not the best person to ask for help in these sorts of situations.

Four: Many of the people there were not people, but demons in disguise. It was a scent she'd quickly learned to recognize after a few close encounters, and all of them seemed to be out for her blood. No surprise there. She was a goddess, and they were demons. They were just more troublesome then weakling Imps.

Five: There was no way she was spending several days or possibly months, trapped on a sea-bound ship with the threat of those damn demons all around her, but more importantly than the demons who could and would attack her, was the fact that every person manning those ships smelled god-awful and she would probably end up jumping ship after two days of putting up with it, and swimming wasn't exactly her forte.

She wrinkled her face again as if to emphasize her disgust and turned away, deciding that she'd travel around the town and continue further north once she was sure the town was behind them. Issun picked up on this sudden change in direction, hopping to the bridge of her nose as she walked.

"Hey, hey! Where do ya think you're goin', furball? The port is that way!" He barked. She rolled her eyes and Issun instantly read her thoughts by her expression. He was very good at that, especially since Amaterasu couldn't talk. "I don't like this idea any more than you do, but we gotta get back to Nippon, quick! So turn your tail around and get moving!" He barked. Amaterasu decided she'd had enough of his orders and snapped him up in her jaws, continuing at a steady trot. Issun struggled to open the goddess' mouth but eventually gave up.

"Yuck, wolf slobber!" He spat, sitting down and crossing his arms over his chest. He briefly contemplated pricking her in the tongue or the gums with the small sword at his side, Denkomaru, but in the end decided his sword was 'too good to get wolf spit on'.

Travelling in a wide arc around the outer edges of the town, Amaterasu finally let Issun out, trying to ignore the sprite's snappish complaints as she traversed the forest of bamboo and Chinese firs. She stopped as she thought she heard something, tilting her head to the side and pricking her ears alertly.

"…and I hope you know just how hard it is to get slobber off of this cape and…" Issun stopped as he noticed her listening posture and inclined his head. "What's the matter now? It isn't another one of those demons, is it?" Amaterasu sniffed before she heard it again. Setting forward at a trot, the sound she was seeking breaking through the quite air again. It sounded like a whimper. It sounded like it was coming from…below? Her ears quirked in different directions in confusion before her paws left solid earth, her eyes darting down to see open space and she toppled head over heels, rolling down rocks before finally landing on solid ground again. She noticed as she hit rock that she was not alone.

The figure darted back into the shadows fearfully. She stared off into the darkness where whatever it was had vanished as Issun landed on her side and rolled off. He was dazed for several moments before regaining himself and hopping up, his aura a burning red.

"Nice goin', furball! Watch where your going, why don't'cha?" He fumed. The figure shuffled in the enveloping darkness and Issun stopped, just now noticing. The only source of light was a beam shooting down from the hole that Amaterasu had fallen through, everything else dark.

"Hey, who's in there?" Issun demanded, hopping back to his customary place atop Amaterasu's head. The figure flinched and shuffled about again.

"…y-you're not…d…demons…are you…?" A squeaky voice piped.

"Of course we're not!" Issun retorted. "And what about you? How do we know you aren't a demon?"

"…I'm…n-not a demon…I was running from them…" The unseen figure answered shakily. "…if you aren't demons…th-then what are you?"

"I'm Issun, the wandering Artist!" Issun piped pridefully. "This big lump o' fur here is Topple-n-roll Ammy!" Amaterasu rolled her eyes slightly at the nickname. Issun seemed to come up with a lot for her, and most of them were ridiculous in some way.

"I…I'm Liàng xīng…" The figure introduced, stepping forward uncertainly. The figure was human, a young Chinese boy with shoulder-length black hair and dark eyes. He looked a bit worse for wear, his hair messy and clothes somewhat tattered.

"Liàng xīng, huh? What are you doing way down here?" Issun ventured, noting that the name was Chinese. No surprise there, considering where they were.

"I was running from the demons…a-and I fell down that hole…same as you apparently did…" He said, motioning sheepishly toward the opening above. Amaterasu stood and shook herself off, looking up.

"Well it doesn't look too high…hey Ammy, I think you could probably wall jump that if you really tried."

"C-can you get out, really?" The boy squeaked hopefully. "P-please…I can't climb up that…will you take me with you?" He yelped in surprise as the goddess in wolf form snapped onto his baggy sleeve and flung him up. He landed on her back and, surprisingly to him, didn't end up knocking her to the ground. Taking several steps back, Amaterasu pawed the ground before rushing forward, Liàng xīng holding onto her fur with a near-death-grip.

The white she-wolf leapt up, kicking off the ground with powerful legs before her paws touched vertical stone. Her claws dug into the rock, large grass blades and a few small flowers springing up on the rock in a perfect circle around her before she pushed herself up to the hole in the ceiling, the plants breaking off the rock and turning to leaves that fluttered down to the cave floor below.

Amaterasu sprung back out into the forest and landed with ease, looking around idly while -Liàngxīng sat quivering in slight fear on her back. After a moment the boy loosened up and rolled off, falling to the ground with another yelp before picking himself up and looking around cautiously.

"So, kid, you got anywhere to go?" Issun ventured curiously. The boy took a few seconds to reply, confusion briefly passing through his dark eyes.

"A little village…just…near the Black Order's Asian Branch." He said slowly. Issun tilted his head slightly in confusion.

" 'Black Order'? 'Asian Branch'?" He repeated, not sure what that was. The boy picked up on that fact quickly and scrabbled up.

"…I…If you come with me…and protect me from the demons…I…I could probably find t-the way…" He offered sheepishly. Issun nodded. At least they didn't have to go traipsing around looking for some unknown place.

"Alright, lead the way." Issun said, motioning for him to get going though he was sure the boy couldn't see it. Liàngxīng nodded and started ahead, Amaterasu trotting alongside him.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

"Keep looking over there. We haven't found any sign so there's still a chance he's alive." Bak ordered, pointing off into the brush. The Finders sighed and turned back to the line of forest to search.

"This is ridiculous, Baka Bak." Fou growled. "We've been searching the same area for the past day now. I don't think he's here."

"It's not 'Baka Bak', just 'Bak'!" The man protested hotly. "And it's not as if we've found any clothes or anything, so if he was hit by a bullet, I'm sure we would've found _some_ kind of sign." Fou opened her mouth to retort but stopped and whipped her head around, gazing intently toward the forest. Bak noticed this with slight curiosity and followed her gaze. "What is it? An Akuma?" She was silent for a long moment, not quite in a daze but seeming as though she didn't hear him for a moment.

"Not an Akuma…something else. Something powerful." She said seriously. Bak's interest was piqued even more but he wasn't without a note of caution as well. They gazed off for a long moment before they saw movement and a boy appeared. Bak's eyes widened slightly as he blinked several times.

"Hey!" The boy cried, spotting them and sprinting down the hill.

"I told you!" Bak cried triumphantly, looking over at Fou with a victorious gleam. She only crossed her arms and looked away sourly. The two looked back to the boy as they heard a squeak and a 'thump', noticing that he had tripped. Bak wasted no time in trotting toward the boy to help him, picking him up bridle-style. The boy was unconscious but otherwise was fine, having collapsed from exhaustion.

The Asian Branch leader found his gaze wandering back to the line of tree's where the boy had appeared, his gaze falling on the form of a white wolf with red accents regarding him from afar. After a moment it turned and returned to the shadows of the trees, vanishing just as quickly as it had appeared. Fou blinked a few times slowly before looking to Bak.

"That was 'her', wasn't it?" Fou stated more than asked.

"I suppose Walker was right." Bak thought aloud. "But what would she be doing here?" Fou didn't seem to have an answer.

"Either way, it could be bad if the higher ups find out about this." Fou pointed out.

"Right. Let's just keep this between us." Bak agreed. He briskly turned around, still carrying the boy.

"HEY! I found him!" He yelled, heading back towards the Asian Branch headquarters. Fou stood for several more seconds, staring at the line of trees where the white wolf had disappeared before turning and following Bak.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

**Authors Note(2):** So this chapter was a bit shorter than usual but I hope you liked it. I kind of just wanted to get it finished at about the end of it when Liàngxīng came in. And Liàngxīng


	7. Gaze on the Path Ahead

**Authors Note:** Forgive me for the late update but I have had a lot going on lately! However, I hope I made up for it with the length of this chapter. 13 pages baby! That's my longest chapter for this story ever so I hope it makes up for it. _AAAAAAND_ chapter 8 is next on my list for all story updates so you guys get two updates in a row! Hopefully I'll finish it quicker… -sweatdrop- Anyway, we're really starting to get toward the main story and past all the beginning stuff. Working a bit on scene's with the Earl and Noah's Family, and getting back to Amaterasu, yay! I also finally brought in Susanoo, though unless you've already played the beginning of Ookami, you won't know who he is, yet. Not really. I also put some more fight scene's in here again and trying to include the other characters besides Allen, like Lenalee, Krory, Bookman, and Link, who I often forget about –sweatdrop-

And I also forgot to thank all my loyal reviewers last chapter! Ack! How could I? Thanks go to _Allen_the_Musician_ and _lilanimefan247_ for their reviews on chapters 5-6, _SafeofAges729_ for their review on chapters 1-2, and _Flashlight_Maniac_ for their review on chapter 6! Thank you all so much for your support!^^

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Ookami or D Gray-man, they belong to…oh, do I really have to do this? Don't you people learn after seven chapters?

* * *

**Of Divine Instruments and Innocence**

**A D Gray-Man and Ookami Crossover**

**By: Kougetsu_KitsuneHinote_Hakuma**

**Chapter 7:** Gaze on the Path ahead

* * *

The cold of the snow and the wind was fierce, howling in a torrent blindingly, but the three human figures didn't even seem to notice, despite that their clothes weren't even designed for the cold climate. One was a fat Victorian man wearing a tan top-coat with black pants and shoes, and a peculiar top-hat perched on his head. One of the other two was a Portuguese man with curled raven-black hair tied into a ponytail under a black top-hat, and wearing a black tuxedo. The last figure of the group was a young girl in a white button-up lace shirt and a thin black skirt, with black and white tube socks that reached mid-thigh, idly twirling a pink umbrella in her hand.

Ancient stones peeked out of the snow, stone blocks set to create a walkway leading up to an alter. Pillars stood at each corner of the alter, and at its center stood a sword with a totem-carved hilt, imbedded in a slot in the stone. Two large totem poles stood at the far end of the square alter, with the bottom totems being a man, woman, then bear, and the last, top one being an owl, with a small flame-pit at the top. The alter overlooked a lake that was frozen solid, and peaking out of the ice was a large, metal contraption.

"This is the fabled 'Ark of Yamato' you mentioned, Lord Millennium?" The girl ventured, turning her gaze to the fat man with the perpetual grin, who nodded.

"Are you sure this…thing…is hundreds of years old? Or if it even works?" The man asked incredulously.

"Of course it does~" The fat man assured. "It's merely sleeping under the ice." He said. The man in the tuxedo raised a brow questioningly before sighing.

"Our Ark is surely much more…usable." The man, Tyki, said.

"Perhaps at a first glance, this 'Ark' doesn't seem anywhere near as formidable. However, looks can be deceiving, Tyki-pet~." The Earl mildly chastised.

"Please don't call me that, Duke Millennium…" Tyki sighed. Not that the Earl would ever listen. "So what exactly is so special about this 'Ark' anyway?"

"Why…it holds our _final_ player. The exorcists are playing their part in our little scenario. Now, we just need to wait for them to finish their roles before we can begin the finale." Tyki merely raised a brow. He hadn't heard anything of this yet, which was something rather unusual.

"Care to fill me in, Duke Millennium?" The Earl's grin grew wider.

"Why of course, Tyki-pet~"

**.::**The Earl watched as the large demon's fangs closed around where the man had been just a moment before, but he had managed to vanish in the nick of time. Radiating obvious fury, the shadowed beast reared its head and let out an echoing roar, a growl rumbling deep within its many throats.

"_That man annoys me to no end. To intrude upon my dark sanctuary is unforgivable for one such as he!" _Road merely plugged her ears, not really wanting to become half-deaf over one pissy demon's snarling.

"He does seem fairly problematic…" the Earl agreed. "However, he shouldn't prove to be too much of a threat. He is only one man, after all." The demon whipped its head around, blood red eyes gleaming before it came forward swiftly, stopping abruptly just short of the Earl.

"_Let us not forget…'Duke'…" _The shadowed beast growled in a threatening tone, its breath hot, musty, and rancid._ "That you were nearly felled by ONE man." _The Earl's grin narrowed slightly, faltering, and the shadowed beast grinned cruelly._ "I'm_

_well aware of your…'history'…incase you have forgotten. And unlike my slayers, yours was not accompanied by a God. Do not speak of things so…touchy…with me, when you can do no where near better. Otherwise…you might one day…regret…it." _The Earl was silent for a long moment before finally replying.

"Of course not, O powerful one." Despite the composed tone Road could easily tell that the demon had struck a nerve better left untouched.

"_Good."_ The shadowed beast snorted, pulling its head away._ "Now, about the Dark Lord…you are certain you will be able to do as you say?"_ The Earl nodded.

"Of course~, would I lie to you?"

"_Perhaps." _The beast snorted. _"However…I look forward to the results. Now, I wish you gone from here, Duke. I am going to retire to rest. The fated night draws near and I…expect…that the stage will be set by then?"_

"Of course, of course~! You leave everything to me…I will be sure to make it so everything match's up to your expectations." The Earl assured lightly.

"_I should hope so. Now be gone."_ The Earl complied with a slight bow and tip of his hat before turning away, making a brisk exit. Road blinked as she turned and sauntered after him, noticing that his steps were quicker than usual.

"Lord Millennium…?" She ventured cautiously. The Earl didn't reply for a long time until they were a good distance away, but she could see ever since his back was turned to the demon's lair that his ever-present grin had become more of an angry snarl.

"That slimy serpent…" He growled. Road knew that he was always angry about the 14th's betrayal but for that demon to have twisted it around and thrown it back at him had made the Earl absolutely seething. "How _dare_ he even mention that? He has absolutely no right to speak about what occurred like that… I'll have the stage set for him, alright. I'll do more than just reach his expectations. I'll have so much more for him…"

"Lord Millennium…does that mean we go through with his plans then?" The Earl's mouth twisted back into a grin, one that Road knew all too well.

"Of course~" The Earl purred in a deceptively cheery tone. "Let us set the stage for our _star_, shall we?" A long smirk crossed Road's lips, knowing full well his true intentions.

"Understood."**::.**

"The 'Dark Lord' that our scaly friend refers to is a demon of greater power than we could ever hope to accomplish with our Akuma. It may even hold more power than any of the Noah family. That is why we are going to harness its power. And it sleeps here, in the Ark of Yamato." Tyki listened to this story, somewhat boredly, until the Earl mentioned this 'Dark Lord'.

"Are you sure about this, Duke Millennium? It may not even be there anymore, and even if it is, how will you have control over it? Especially if it's supposedly more powerful then us…"

"Don't you worry, Tyki-pet~, I have it all worked out." The Earl assured. "Now, come along. We have another matter to attend to here~"

* * *

Amaterasu's form was curled up into a ball, her sides rising and falling rhythmically. Issun was nestled comfortably in her fur as the goddess in wolf form slept. Though the situations were not ideal at the moment, he was glad to at least be able to travel on Amaterasu over the last couple of months. Her fur was the softest he'd ever felt, and smelled very nice, despite that she never took a bath. Something he whole-heartedly agreed with. Not to mention, it was a lot better than that time he'd tried sleeping on that one bear in Kamui(unfortunately for him, it rolled around in its sleep and nearly crushed and suffocated him).

Amaterasu's nose twitched in her sleep at an odd – and somewhat familiar – scent. Before she had the chance to fully awaken and investigate, a large explosion rang clear through the air, waking her instantly. The startled wolf jumped up and ended up rolling onto her back, nearly crushing a half-asleep, temperamental companion of hers.

"Dang it! Not again!" Issun barked, scrabbling up as Amaterasu rolled off and offered him an apologetic look. Another explosion followed and the sprite's anger was all but forgotten, hopping back up onto her head.

"Yikes! What was that?" Issun yipped. Pausing only a moment to scent the air again, she took off in the direction it had come from, to the port town they'd come to just a day or two ago. With Amaterasu's incredible speed, it took no time at all to reach it, but neither were entirely prepared for the sight. The small-town buildings in a good section around the town were lit aflame, some crumbling away as if something had just hit them.

Two or three docked ships, mainly small ones, were sinking and demolished, one larger ship and the dock itself on fire, and people rushing around in a panic and jumping off the damaged and sinking ships. The remaining, undestroyed ships had crew bustling around in a frenzy, trying to set sail as quickly as possible. Amaterasu scanned around before her eyes came to several demons she had quickly learned to try and avoid as of late. Of course, they also took notice of her. The lead one, that resembled something of a more human shape, with black, steely armor skin and multiple eyes advanced with bloodlust shining in its eyes.

"There you are! I knew you'd come out if I attacked one of the towns around here~" The demon purred in triumph, clawed-hands curling into fists. "Now die!" It snarled, advancing swiftly. Amaterasu tapped into her advantage of speed and bolted around to the side, swinging wide around the demon. She knew it was wiser to avoid this creature but she couldn't leave them to attack all these people either. It was her duty to defend and save them.

Several of the egg-shaped demons hissed maliciously and aimed their many gun-barrels at her, firing a volley of bullets. She'd seen on a few occasions what those weapons did to other creatures and changed direction abruptly to avoid them, sprinting away. The ones that grew too near she destroyed using her godly powers, the bullets sliced seemingly by an invisible sword.

The human-shaped one charged down with a well-aimed left hook, missing by only a few inches and crashing into the ground, debris from the road flying as Amaterasu leapt back with a startled snarl. Before the dust even cleared the demon emerged, unfazed, and aimed more punches in her direction.

"Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die!"

Amaterasu leaped back to avoid the onslaught of attacks, managing by inches to spare. She was thankful for her good stamina otherwise she would have possibly been too tired to do much up to this point, feeling slightly winded.

"You're going to die here and now." The demon growled. Thinking for a moment, her eyes scanning the town, Amaterasu abruptly turned tail, sprinting away as fast as her legs carried her. "Come back here and die!" The demon snarled, giving chase. Just as she'd planned…

She just hoped her strength and stamina outlasted theirs.

* * *

"This better not be a waste of time…" Kanda grunted, his arms crossed over his chest and gaze looking elsewhere with what seemed to be a mix of boredom and disinterest.

"Come on, Yuu-chan, just think, you'll be one of the only people to ever meet a real life sprite." Lavi jibed, nudging the samurai with his shoulder. "And from what Moyashi-chan says, she sounds like a real babe." Kanda, who was pissed off since Lavi said his given name, growled in anger and drew Mugen in one swift movement, pointing it at Lavi's throat threateningly.

"Like I give a damn, usagi, and don't call me that!" He snarled. Lavi held up his hands in defeat.

"So negative…" Lavi sighed, though he was hardly put off. Allen merely sweat-dropped, silently sure that Lavi was going to get himself killed by Kanda one day. Ignoring the two teenager's squabbling, Allen led the way toward the sacred deck. Stopping on the wood platform, the white-haired youth looked around in question.

"Wonder how exactly we're supposed to talk to her…" Allen absently wondered, gazing around. He wasn't even sure how she'd appeared to begin with.

"Maybe just try calling out to her?" Lavi suggested. Allen merely shrugged. It was worth a try at least.

"_Um…excuse me…? We came here to talk to someone named Sakuya? I believe we met the day before."_ Allen called in Japanese. For a moment nothing happened, leading him to believe that it was a lost attempt, until a pinkish-white orb of light spiraled up from the tree, fast at first before slowing near the top branches. In a flash the orb had become to woman that Allen had seen before, the front strands of hair hanging down in long strips around the sides of her face while the back was tied in a bun and crowned with sakaki leaves.

A mantle of purple mist hung around her back and she was dressed in a light pink kimono. Light radiated around her delicate frame while cherry blossom petals fluttered down from around her, bringing the scent of cherry blossoms and a sense of warmth.

"_Ah, the young man from before…my humblest thanks for protecting the Guardian Tree and I from that demon that day."_ Allen felt relieved just to see that she was still alive, since she had appeared to protect him despite her low strength. _"If you wish something of me, I'm afraid at present I have nary any strength to reward you."_ She said, shaking her head sadly.

"_That's not it. We actually came here to find something. We were hoping you might know where it is."_ Allen replied. _"We were supposed to be looking for something called a 'Divine Instrument', but we're not sure where to look. Someone told us you'd know where it is."_ Allen noticed that the woman seemed to know what he was talking about, sparking a bit of hope in him.

"_Indeed, I knew where it was. I had guarded it here for a hundred years, ever since the demon Orochi was defeated one-hundred years ago."_ She admitted. _"However, I no longer hold it with me."_

"_Do you know where it is at present?"_ Bookman asked, his hands hidden in his sleeves as he gazed at her.

"_I know who has it, but not where the Divine Instrument is. Or more specifically, where that individual is."_ Sakuya said with a hint of sadness.

"_Just tell us who this person is and what they look like, I'm sure we can find them for you."_ Lavi assured, folding his arms behind his head in a leisurely manner as he shifted his weight to one foot.

"_The one who has possession of the Divine Instrument is not a person. She is a God."_ Sakuya stated, catching everyone's attention. Despite that he was trying to hide it, Lavi noticed even Kanda seemed to have taken a little bit of an interest.

"_What 'God'?"_ Allen ventured. He still wasn't entirely sure about this thing of other gods being real, or walking the earth, but there was a lot he didn't know about everything that was going on. And the fact he was standing here talking to a nature sprite that lived in a tree. Suddenly this supposed other 'God' and everything else he'd been hearing about lately didn't seem so entirely farfetched.

"_The mother of all that is…Mother Amaterasu. You may know her as Shiranui, the white wolf that defeated Orochi one-hundred years ago."_ Sakuya said. Allen was slightly surprised but he had somehow felt that 'Shiranui' and 'Amaterasu' were one and the same, since his encounter in China.

"_Correct me if I'm wrong here, but didn't 'Shiranui' die one-hundred years ago? Even if she's supposed to be a god, how is she here now if she died?"_ Lavi questioned, a more serious, inquiring expression on his face, his Bookman side coming to the forefront.

"_As you know, Orochi was defeated one-hundred years ago and peace spread throughout Nippon. However, only some few months ago, a powerful darkness spread across the land and engulfed everything, even the light of the sun. Only the small area around the sacred tree and Shiranui's statue was safe from the chaos that overtook the land. Using what remained of my strength at the time, I summoned the Divine Instrument from its slumber, and through it, I breathed life into the statue to bring Mother Amaterasu back to our world."_ She explained, before sadness filled her gaze again. _"However…not long after Mother Amaterasu was resurrected, and she had restored the village, demons such as those that attacked just a day ago appeared, and threw her into the water after delivering a grave wound. Since that time, I have not seen nor heard any trace of her in Nippon."_

The group was silent in thought for a moment, while Lavi placed a hand to his chin in thought.

"That must be why Allen saw her before." He thought aloud, causing the white-haired boy to turn to him in question.

"What do you mean?"

"Well think about it this way…" Lavi began, his green eye thoughtful. "If she was knocked into the water, then she could have been swept all the way to the shore of China, and it was a few months ago so the timeline seems to fit. If she isn't here in Japan, and she didn't drown, then that's where she'd end up. Plus, take into account, we were near the coast about to head here at about that time. We didn't see her because it was after that Noah destroyed your arm in the bamboo grove, but just before Fo found you. Everything adds up." Thinking on Lavi's words for a moment, Allen nodded in agreement.

"That sounds about right…"

"_Forgive me, for I have not the strength to speak much more, but if I may be so bold as to request something of you?"_ Sakuya interjected, earning back the groups attention.

"_Sure."_ Allen agreed almost immediately.

"_Please, help to find Mother Amaterasu and stop this evil from spreading. The roots of my tree spread far, to other trees. You would know them as Guardian Saplings. But at present, the darkness' hold is great and my power to protect these lands dwindles by threads. Only Mother Amaterasu has the power to make things right. There are others who would help you that you are sure to meet. Time is short, so please, hurry! And may the fresh scent of flowers protect you always!"_ She said before her form faded into an orb of light again, swirling around the tree before disappearing inside of it.

Turning away from the tree, Allen faced his comrades again.

"So what should we do now?" Allen ventured. Krory fidgeted uncomfortably, still not able to speak or understand pretty much any Japanese, so he'd missed out on pretty much everything up to this point.

"I don't even know what anyone said before…" He admitted in a slight whimper.

"Don't worry, Crow-chan. I'll fill you in in just a moment." Lavi promised.

"Che…weren't you listening, Moyashi? She's basically saying to find the wolf." Kanda sneered.

"That's not what I meant, BaKanda." Allen snapped.

"Yuu-chan has a point though." Lavi rang.

"Baka Usagi, do _not_ call me that!" Kanda snapped.

"Guys…" Lenalee interjected in a warning tone.

"Only problem is…the wolf we're looking for might not even be in China anymore. It's been months so who knows where she could be? Or even if this 'Amaterasu' is even still alive? A whole number of things could've happened." He pointed out.

"At any rate…" Bookman stepped in. "Sakuya mentioned there were others that know about what's happening that could help. At the very least, we should get more information from them, considering that when it comes down to it, we know next to nothing about the situation." He reasoned, gazing around at the assembled group to gauge their thoughts. Aside from Kanda, who really didn't seem to care, and Krory who was still mostly in the dark, everyone seemed to be in agreement.

Walking back down, Lavi hung back with Krory to explain everything that had been exchanged between the group and Sakuya while they headed back down toward the village. As they came back, Mr. Orange approached them, hobbling over his walking stick.

"So, did everything go well?" The old man ventured, his gaze traveling over each member of the group in turn.

"Yeah, we managed to talk to her for a while" Allen said, nodding curtly.

"I see…so, will you be leaving Kamiki then?"

"We're going to head further out and see if we can find anything relating to what we're looking for." Link replied bluntly, hanging back just behind Allen.

"I see...well, I wish you luck on whatever it is you're looking for." Mr. Orange said. "Feel free to come back any time, you're always welcome."

"Thank you." Allen said gratefully as he passed by on their way out of the village. Crossing the bridge over the river, they headed back out to Shinshu Field, and were immediately greeted by the scene of writhing black and red energy that Tanuki had called the Cursed Zone. Luckily part of the field was still normal, though the air was oppressive and gloomy, and the grass looked like it had still seen better days.

"So where do we start looking?" Lavi piped up.

"Just follow the path I guess." Allen figured, taking the lead. Not far along the path they came to what looked like a floating green and black scroll, the bottom ends tattered while sickly green mist swirled around the bottom and green wisps like flame hovered around it. A low rumble, like a beast growling, could be heard coming from it, not to mention the bad aura it gave off. "That looks like something better left avoiding." Allen noted aloud. The others seemed to agree as they gave the thing a wide birth, heading down the path. There were more floating around ahead but they seemed to ignore Allen's and the others presence if they gave them wide enough space.

Coming toward the tree, a wood sign pointing left had large white Kanji written across it. Allen blinked as he looked at it for a long moment, bent over until looking back.

"I can't read it…what about you guys?" He asked. He'd learned to speak Japanese before, but never to read it. Stepping forward, Bookman examined them in thought before speaking.

"It says, 'To Hana Valley'." He read aloud before their gazes traveled down the path. Ahead was a wide cave entrance and just over the crest of the hill, the roof of a small cabin could be seen.

"Well, it doesn't appear that we can go any further here. Why don't we check out that place then? Hopefully we might have some luck there." Allen figured. When no one raised any arguments the teen started ahead. As they came closer, the cabin was little more than a small hut, with a small fence bordering the yard of the house. A pile of wood was stacked underneath the single window, and a man stood outside, swinging an axe down onto the wood.

A cloth was tied around the man's head and his face was ragged with hair stubs. His arms and legs were rapped in white bandage and leather gloves and boots sat over those, with the ends tied down. The legs of his white hakama were tied up and his well-toned chest was bare aside from a fox pelt draped around his shoulders and neck.

"_Excuse me!"_ Allen called, trying to gain the man's attention. He stopped and stood up straighter, wiping a bead of sweat off his forehead and turned to face him, leaning on the blunt end of his axe.

"_What can I do for ya?"_ The man asked, eyeing the group curiously.

"_Is this that…'Hana Valley' the sign mentioned?"_ Allen ventured, motioning toward the cave behind his house. His gaze briefly swept back to the cave before looking back to Allen.

"_Yep, this is it, man. Though right now I wouldn't go in there. Ever since the Cursed Zone popped up out here there've been more monsters running around than usual, a lot of 'em have moved in there. There's a trippy crystal ball that makes plants grow enshrined there. You'd think gardener's would be flocking here for it."_ He crossed his arms in thought a moment. _"Actually, not long ago that Susanoo guy went marching in there. It's weird, normally he runs away at the sight of monsters. And he hardly seems the type to try his hand at gardening."_ He rambled on before straightening up again. _"Anyway, it's bad karma, man. You could be attacked if you went in."_

"A crystal ball that makes plants grow?" Allen repeated, blinking a few times. He looked to the others before taking the lead. Perhaps it could somehow help them with the withered Guardian Sapling?

"_Well, thank you."_ Allen said as he passed by.

"Arigatou." Krory added as well as he followed. He at least remembered some of the words Lenalee and Lavi had been teaching him. As they went into the cave, they noticed the river flowing out of it was a murky, dingy brown coloring that moved along at little more than a snails pace, giving off a fowl odor that made many of them plug their noses.

"What an awful smell…" Lenalee said, voicing everyone's thoughts as she made a face.

"It must be another effect of the Cursed Zone." Lavi figured, his voice sounding nasally with his nose plugged. Upon entering the oppressive air was somewhat lighter but the foul smell only seemed to increase as the river grew wider.

A heavy mist produced by the river hung thick in the air and stung at their eyes, holding the same foul quality as the river itself.

"Oh man, that stuff _burns_." Lavi complained, rubbing his one visible eye with one hand.

"Che." Kanda scoffed, holding his nose, though as far as his eyes he seemed fine enough. The few small trees they passed were withered and depressed, the bark turned black as though fire had scorched them.

"Hold on, I see a camp fire." Allen warned. The others also started to notice the glow of a fire and many hunched over humanoid figures sitting around it or dancing. Crackly chattering and shrill flute music reached their ears a moment later, while an occasional tune of lute strings being plucked accompanied it. Squinting his eyes, which were still burning, Allen noticed the figures looked more like gangly chimps than humans, but what would normally be thick, sleek fur hung in dying patches and their skin was rough and covered in bulbous warts. Paper masks hung over their faces and they were dressed in loose-hanging kimonos. Some were a sickly green, others a rustic red-brown.

Tilting his head, Allen approached cautiously, unsure what to make of these weird monkey-like creatures.

"What the _hell_ do you think you're doing, Moyashi?" Kanda hissed in a low tone. Apparently it was loud enough for the odd creatures to hear because they stopped in their dancing and merry-making and whipped around with startled shrieks and snarls. They stared a moment before one of the reddish ones grabbed the lute it had been playing and swung it in a swift motion. Allen activated Crown Clown in a whirl of white, blocking with his claw but found that the creature was still fairly strong, knocking the wind out of him as it sent the teen flying back.

"Damn it, Moyashi!" Kanda snarled, drawing Mugen in one fluid motion and leaping forward. The monkey-like creatures caterwauled and scattered, avoiding the Japanese male's blade with surprising ease. Lavi was close behind with his hammer and Krory with his fangs while Lenalee helped Allen up.

The teen shook off his surprise and his gaze traveled to his comrades currently facing the demons.

"That was stupid…" He berated himself under his breath before rushing in to help, Lenalee at his heels with her Dark Boots. The smaller, green ones hopped from side to side anxiously, watching the group's movements before one lunged forward, slashing jagged claws at Lavi. The redhead blocked with the length of Iron Hammer's handle, while Kanda lunged for it with Mugen.

He was satisfied to feel it cut cleanly into the creature's shoulder and down its back and side, earning a screech of agony. Spinning away on one foot, the creature snarled with renewed rage. Allen focused his attention on one of the reddish ones, slashing with his claw. He managed to graze its chest once before it brought the large wood lute in front of it as a shield. Allen's claw bit deep into the wood and held as he tried to free it, yanking back but it held fast.

Growling in frustration, he heard a cry of warning from Lenalee a moment before one of the green creatures landed on his back and threw him off balance, clawing at him with jagged claws. For the most part his cloak protected him but the claws found their way around to his arm and he hissed in pain, trying to knock it off with his elbow, and simultaneously trying to free his Claw.

When that failed the teen used Crown Belt to lasso it and yank it off. With a guttural shriek it was torn away before Lenalee came crashing down with her boots, crushing it into the ground.

"Thank you, Lenalee!" Allen called over his shoulder before finally freeing himself, drawing back quickly. Kanda had managed to finish off one of the green ones and went after the reddish one as it moved the lute and prowled toward Allen. Slashing at it, he barely missed before it backed itself to the cliff and raised its lute as a shield again.

"Careful, you're sword will get stuck in that wood." Allen warned.

"Che…take your own advice, Moyashi." Kanda sneered before holding Mugen out in front of him. Blue energy engulfed the sword and traveled up it, engulfing it like blue fire and forming a blade of energy. "Second Illusion Style: Nigentou." He uttered before leaping forward, bringing his sword down and cutting cleanly and easily through the lute, continuing on and striking the creature as well. The demon uttered a noise of surprise and fell back as it was struck, hitting the wall before slumping to the ground.

Although Allen hated to admit it, perhaps he had underestimated Kanda. Just a little, teeny, tiny, miniscule bit. Without waiting any more Kanda turned and attacked the second red monkey creature, slicing through that one's lute that was strung on its back and through to that one as well before letting the energy dissipate and Mugen went back to it's first form.

"Nice job, Yuu~." Lavi jibed, only to find Mugen pointed in his face a moment later.

"I told you not to call me that, Baka Usagi!" Kanda snarled. Allen sighed before rushing back in toward one of the green demons. Looking to finish this quickly, he imbedded his claw into its side, earning a shriek of pain.

"Cross Grave." White crosses appeared over the remaining creatures before exploding, ending the battle as he had hoped. The creatures collapsed in a heap and the teen finally relaxed, straightening up and letting out a sigh. Before he had the chance to say anything the water behind him gurgled. Whipping around and raising his guard, Allen prepared for more enemies. The surface of the brown water bubbled before clear water briefly shot up, a small island of earth appearing for a few seconds before the dark water swooped forward and consumed it, making it disappear again.

"What the…?" He blinked. Relaxing again, his gaze traveled to the creatures he and his comrades had just fought and killed. He felt a shred of guilt but he hadn't wanted his friends to get hurt either. "What were those, anyway?" He asked. They were something reminiscent of apes but they were sickly, like they were struck by some kind of illness that had deteriorated their bodies, and he'd personally never seen monkey's play music or wear clothing.

Examining them closer, Bookman hummed in thought before straightening up.

"Demons. These particular kinds are called 'Imps' and are weaker demons that cause mischief or sneak into villages and cause trouble. This must be what that man meant when he said demons had moved in." At this point his gaze traveled to the water. "By defeating them I believe we temporarily lifted their evil influence that consumed that island. But the curse here is strong and so we didn't completely free it." He figured. "We should keep alert. There are bound to be more demons as we go." He said. Their gazes went back to the demons as they hissed and sizzled, their bodies steaming and melting away from bone before the bones followed and it became a tall, lush flower for each body. After a few moments the flowers sparkled and faded into nothing.

"Wow." Lenalee breathed. While it wasn't a particularly big or stunning sight, it had been the last thing she had expected to happen.

"Che…let's get this over with." Kanda snorted, stalking ahead. Following Kanda's lead, the others headed up the path as well. Making their way through a short stone tunnel, the path opened up so that there was a ledge below them, and the sides of the path were lined with dying trees. Lavi stopped abruptly as a particular tree caught his eye.

"Hey guys, wait." He said as they seemed not to notice, before following his gaze. The tree seemed to be moving, as though alive even, while little wisps like flame that were brown, gold, and red hung off the branches, a glowing, withered brown bud dangling off the top.

"What's with that tree?" Allen wondered aloud. After a moment the tree suddenly whirled around, spinning before flinging a glowing ball of energy from the bud. Lavi yelped while he and the others jumped out of the way.

"What the heck?" Lavi exclaimed. After a moment another ball formed and it whirled around, flinging another. The junior Bookman wasn't fast enough this time as it whizzed into his shoulder and upper chest, exploding upon impact with the energy inside it. Lavi let out a strangled gasp of both surprise and pain as he fell back. Kanda snarled in annoyance as he lunged with Mugen, but his blade merely glanced off the tree trunk. As another ball formed, rather than throwing it, the tree whipped around and used it like a club to strike Kanda, throwing him back.

Helping Lavi up, Allen started to rush past.

"Come on! Let's get away from that thing!" Hesitating long enough to cast a murderous glare at the tree, Kanda followed suite. Passing by a second one, the group dodged out of the way before making it to a hanging bridge and out of danger. And leaving the trees standing, much to Kanda's chagrin.

"Phew…I'm starting to not like this place…" Allen sighed. A waterfall next to the bridge send up a spray of more stinging mist and the teen absently rubbed his eyes before looking to Lavi. "You alright, Lavi?" Straightening up, the red-head absently felt his cheek and winced, the exploding thing having left a mild burn.

"Yeah…but I think I'm going to feel that for awhile." He reported, earning a disapproving look from Bookman, for his carelessness no doubt. "Anyway, let's keep going." Nodding his agreement, and once again wiping his eyes which had started to water, Allen led the way further in. Passing by a third tree, the group sprinted by to the top of the hill before it opened up to more of a long cave. Their attention immediately went to a large mural on the far wall, with odd red and black swirling markings over it that blocked most of the picture.

"What'd'you suppose that is?" Lavi asked no one in particular. Allen shrugged before his gaze went to a figure a little ways away dressed in purple. Tilting his head, he ventured over.

"_Excuse me?"_ He called. The man seemed to be pushing at a rock wall at the end of the path and stopped, turning around to face him. Examining the boy for a moment, he crossed his arms over his chest.

"_What? Can't you see I'm busy here?"_ He returned gruffly. His attire was a purple sleeveless kimono and hakama, with a red rope around his waist, and a wooden sword slung over his back. His bare arms were well muscled and covered in hair, white his face had a large beard, side-burns, and a uni-brow that almost made it seem as though he had glasses on.

"_Sorry…it's just…we're new here. Does this place go any further back?" _Allen asked carefully. The man snorted as he examined the rest of the group that came to stand by Allen.

"_Foreigner, huh? Well of course it does. Behind this wall is my secret training ground." _He replied, thumbing the wall behind him. _"Incase you didn't know, I'm Susanoo, the greatest warrior ever!"_ He declared, finishing with a heroic pose of him pointing his wooden sword in the air._ "Now if you'll excuse me…"_ He began, turning away. He stopped suddenly and Allen and the others tensed as a shrill pair of flutes pierced the air. Whipping around, a pair of green Imps dropped down from the cliff face above, hopping about as they played on their golden flutes. Allen activated Crown Clown in a whirl of white before pausing, noticing the earth stir. A trail as though something were burrowing moved below their feet and made the exorcists jump back in surprise before the trail stopped between the two green Imps.

After a half second a large, yellowish Imp burst out of the ground, slamming a large drum into the ground before beating two large drumsticks on it, the pounding sound reverberating through the ground. After that, it disappeared beneath the ground again. The two green Imps cackled and prowled forward, jagged claws gleaming. Allen tensed and prepared his Claw.

"Get ready, here they come!"

* * *

Amaterasu sprinted across the bank of the water as quickly as her legs would allow, the demons still hot on her tail and showing no signs of slowing. Which was bad because she was starting to get exhausted. She'd barely had any time to attack and nearly none of her attacks did anything, save for destroying a few of the weaker egg-shaped demons. One of the demons fired and missed her by a hair's length, skimming past and hitting a large tree growing on the edge of the bank where sand met dirt. The tree creaked and groaned, splintering as it fell toward earth.

"Watch out, Ammy!" Issun warned, clinging onto her fur for dear life. Summoning up her Celestial Canvas, she quickly called upon her Rejuvination brush power and filled in the area around the tree where it was breaking, replacing the lost wood. The tree came to a halt and strained to stay up at its new angle, moaning with the weight as she raced past. She bade the tree her forgiveness as the awkward angle began to break again and she used her Power Slash to further weaken it. As one of the egg-shaped demons passed under the tree finally shuddered and collapsed, crushing it under it's weight. The demon howled as it was crushed, old hardwood branches piercing into the weaker parts of its shell. It didn't manage to destroy it but the creature could no longer move from where it was, trapped.

Her muscles were aching as she tore along the sandy bank, leaping in long strides as the sand tried to slow her paw steps.

"You won't escape!" The human-shaped demon snarled. And it was right. Her muscles were already screaming for her to stop and even if she pushed herself she wouldn't be able to run much longer. Hardening her resolve, she skidded to a halt and whipped around, baring her fangs and bristling. The demon chuckled in amusement as the egg-shaped ones advanced. "Ho ho ho…so you finally decided to face your fate!" The demon snarled.

"Furball…" Issun spoke in a warning tone. The egg-shaped ones fired and Amaterasu quickly summoned her Celestial Canvas again, drawing a quick slash over the bullets. Just as she had hoped, it sent them flying back and pierced deep through the demon's shells, causing them to explode with a last guttural wail. The lead demon snarled in rage, eyes gleaming.

"Damn you!" Preparing herself, she let the demon soar toward her before summoning her Celestial Canvas again and slashing its eyes. Screeching in pain and surprise, the demon furious wiped at its face, blinded. At least for the moment. Taking the moment, she used her Power Slash again on the sand several times in numerous areas as far as her power would work along the bank, kicking up large cloud. Using it as cover, she bolted down the bank, under the demon and back the way she'd come behind it before it could clear its vision. Veering into the woods, she used them as cover as she ran. It wasn't long before she heard the demon yelling profanities and cursing her from afar, but hearing it get further away, she could only guess her plan had work. Coming back out as the bank curved she stopped and collapsed on the sand, panting hard.

It had been nearly impossible to loose that demon but luckily with just the one she'd made it possible, though her body ached from the strain. If not for the threat so close she would've just curled up and slept where she was. Standing up and shaking the sand from her fur, she limped slightly as she walked along the bank lethargically. After a while, she stopped to stretch as they reached a spot where rock and boulder piles littered the edge of the bank, climbing over then with a slight grimace as her muscles protested.

She was about to step down when the sound of water splashing reached her ears a moment before she was hit by a small wave, sending her scrabbling off in surprise and flopped down into the sand.

"Oh great, they aren't back are they?" Issun yipped. Amaterasu got up and whipped around, though both were surprised to see what seemed to be a neon colored orca whale grinning toothily. "What the heck?"

"You there! Are you the white wolf Shiranui?" The whale asked in a chirpy voice.

"Who's asking?" Issun challenged.

"I'm Orca, Emissary to the Dragon Palace. I was sent on a mission to bring Shiranui back to Nippon by Queen Otohime of the Dragonians and the Queen of the capital city." He replied simply.

"And how do we know you aren't some lowly demon trying to trick us?" Issun challenged. Before Orca even had a chance to answer, Amaterasu already seemed intent upon climbing onto his back, slipping on his slippery skin and landing back onto the rock.

"I'm not a demon, but those other ones that were after you will come back and find you soon if we don't hurry." Orca pointed out. "I saw the commotion from the water and tried to find you again after you disappeared into the woods."

"Well, I guess we found our ride back, Ammy!" Issun cheered. Amaterasu yipped and jumped up onto the wood platform on Orca's back, settling herself down.

"There you are!" Amaterasu perked and turned her attention to shore, where the human looking demon, and several reinforcements, were charging toward them through the air.

"Yikes! They just don't know when to give up, do they?" Issun quipped.

"Don't worry, my speed is second to none." Orca assured, swiftly turning and darting through the water. "Hold on!" He warned before picking up speed. Amaterasu dug her claws into the wood bottom and her fangs into the side rail-like walls, the wind rushing through her fur. They were headed back to Nippon, at last.

She was on her way home.

* * *

**Authors Note(2):** Mmmm, not much to say, and for once writing this felt more tedious, but I broke this chapter out so yay! A few of you might of even thought I gave up on this story, huh? Huh? For those of you Ookami fans out there, next chapter's going to involve Oki, Kai, Samickle, and Kemu by the way! I know there's a few fans for those guys out there. And we'll see pre-fox wench Rao again! –woots- Anyway, leave a **REVIEW!**

Next Chapter: Building Storm

~Kou


	8. Building Storm

**Authors Note:** Yee~ Chapter 8! Three more chapters and I beat my personal record for number of chapters on a story. And they're freakin' long chapters, too! Not much to say but enjoy!

**Disclaimer:** -sighs- FINE, let's get this _over with._ I do not own Ookami, it belongs to Capcom. I do not own D Gray-Man, it belongs to Katsura Hoshino. Happy?

* * *

**Of Divine Instruments and Innocence  
A D Gray-Man and Ookami Crossover  
By: Kougetsu_KitsuneHinote_Hakuma**

**Chapter 8: Building Storm

* * *

**

The two green Imps hopped back and forth on all fours, growling viciously in rough voices as Allen and the others prepared for a battle. Not waiting for the demons to make the first move, Allen lunged forward with his claw and missed by mere inches as the Imp jumped back to avoid it. Drawing its golden flute, the Imp blew a shrill tune that sent a small shockwave of sound and knocked Allen back. The teen growled through his teeth as he skidded to a halt on his feet, glad for the protection his cowl offered.

Lenalee blazed past him and gave the Imp a swift kick, sending it flying into the rock wall behind it with shattering force, the creature crumpling to the ground, completely still.

"Thank you, Lenalee." Allen thanked, turning his attention toward the second green Imp.

"No problem." She replied, casting a smile in his direction. The other green Imp lunged toward Link, seeming to decide to go up against the, seemingly, weaker of the group. As it came down toward him, the former CROW member drew the blade that was hidden in his sleeve, slashing outward with precision. The Imp screeched in pain as his blade made a clean, deep cut from its lower chest all the way up to the opposite shoulder, quickly scrabbling back from both the pain and surprise.

Lenalee rushed ahead of Allen to help, the teen about to do the same before he stopped, noticing the earth stirring before the yellow Imp popped up again. For a moment it surveyed the group before drumming a steady, rumbling beat. As Allen turned and rushed forward to attack, it slammed the drumsticks down on the drum and sent a shockwave through the ground that knocked Allen and the others off balance. Allen winced as this attack hit, the reverberations echoing through his bones as he hit the ground.

Taking a moment to steady himself, Allen scrabbled back up, eyeing the place where the yellow Imp had previously been, now returned to underground. He briefly took his attention away as Kanda went after the green Imp, looking decidedly pissed and annoyed. In two swift slashes the green Imp fell under his katana, crumpling to the ground before they turned their attention to the one burrowing beneath them, watching the trails of dirt.

"As much as I'd like to wait for a second shock wave…" Lavi mused, twirling his hammer above him as several symbols appeared around it. "Fire seal!" He cried, slamming the flat face of one side of the hammer onto it. A snake of fire formed and shot up into the air, twisting around to dive into the vacant hole created by the Imp. After a few seconds, fire shot out of a second hole connected to the first, and it was only a moment more before the yellow Imp burst out of the ground elsewhere, screeching as it escaped the tunnels that had been used against it. It writhed and screeched in agony, trying to shake the flames off.

Wasting no time, Allen and Kanda rushed forth simultaneously, Allen clasping his left wrist and drawing his Sword of Exorcism, both parties intent on bringing a swift end to it. As the Imp finally cleared the flames off itself, the two teens slashed downward and brought an end to the battle, the large Imp collapsing. The teen turned his attention toward the mural as the marks across it glowed before bursting away from it, dissipating in the air so the picture on it was clear again.

Allen let out a sigh as he relaxed and turned back to the group, returning his Sword of Exorcism to an arm again before turning back toward the man called Susanoo who, Allen couldn't help but notice, was quivering slightly at the knees. Apparently both Lavi and Kanda noticed too.

"You alright there? Y'look a little shaky." Lavi jibed.

"Er…o-of course!" Susanoo retorted, straightening up and crossing his arms.

"Che…greatest warrior ever my foot…" Kanda grunted with narrowed eyes. "He didn't even do anything." At this Susanoo looked rather indignant, puffing himself up.

"I was just sizing you up, that's all. Besides, weak demons like those are easy enough to defeat, and you didn't really look like you needed my help."Susanoo defended himself hotly. "I could beat a whole group of those without breaking a sweat." Allen and the others sweat-dropped but didn't argue. "But besides that, why don't you go run off and play elsewhere. Hana Valley is no place for kids." He dismissed, turning back toward the rock wall again.

"Even though we're the ones who defeated those demons on our own." Lavi said in a hushed voice. Ignoring Susanoo's insult, Allen walked over to where the rock wall was as Susanoo tried pushing it.

"You said behind here is your secret training ground?" Allen ventured, earning Susanoo's attention again.

"Yes…it's…strange but…I know it's around this spot…ngh…somewhere…" The man wheezed between straining to push it.

"Um…I don't think that's working…" Allen sweat-dropped. Lavi stopped near them and crouched down, examining the stone just off the edge of the cliff leading down toward the pool of water below, humming in thought.

"What is it, Lavi?" Allen asked curiously, blinking a few times as he stopped beside him.

"Look at the rock there." He said, pointing to a vertical rock side. "It's been worn away by water." He noted before straightening up and patting the stone. "This rock wall…or boulder to be more precise…wasn't always here. There used to be a waterfall going down from it. And fairly recently from the looks of it. As in within the last year recently I mean."

"So the path is blocked, then?" Allen pieced together.

"Unless this is some kind of puzzle. There might be a way through, if we can solve it." Lavi guessed. "And if that fails, we can always try and bust our way through."

"Yeah, but what kind of puzzle?" Allen asked. After all, there were no clues or tell-tale signs that there was a way through, aside from breaking through the rock, which would take awhile. And there might not even _be_ a way through to begin with. Humming once more in thought, Lavi ambled towards the edge of the cliff where the mural hung on the opposite wall. On the mural, several human-like figures were painted standing in front of an orb with light shining down on it. On the opposite side of the orb was what looked like a sprouting plant, with a small sapling tree, and then a full-grown tree on the end of it.

"Hey, Moyashi-chan, didn't that guy outside tell us there was a crystal ball here that helps plants grow?" Lavi ventured as he examined it.

"It's 'Allen'. And I think so…" Allen replied, thinking back.

"Perhaps the rock wall isn't a puzzle. Perhaps it was put there to keep people like us out." Bookman thought aloud. Lavi nodded in slight agreement as he thought as his gaze looked over the mural. He narrowed his single green eye for a moment, tilting his head.

"It feels like something's missing from this picture…" He thought aloud, placing a hand to his chin in thought. "It almost feels as though the picture is incomplete…" Following his gaze, Allen thought about it a moment, Bookman examining it as well.

"You're right, it does feel like something's missing. But what?" Allen agreed. Bookman was silent for a few moments in thought before speaking.

"It's the light source in the painting."

"The light source?" Allen repeated, his gaze going to the scratched in lines that had led them to believe it was light of some kind.

"Hey…yeah…that must be the sun. Plants need sunlight to grow. There's a big empty spot in the middle of it." Lavi noticed. "I wonder why?" Lavi's thoughts were interrupted as he heard the all-too familiar whirling that the cursed tree's they passed earlier gave off, turning his head toward the path. "Someone must be coming up the path." He quickly figured. He heard a sound like lightning, readying himself for a possible enemy. The others followed suite, preparing for the worst.

It was a few moments later that a young to middle aged Japanese woman appeared, dressed in a purple kimono with a gold obi around her waist. A pale blue hood covered her head and black hair while sea-green beads hung around her neck, a bamboo basket on her shoulders. Despite that she was Japanese, she had fairly large boobs that were partially visible through her kimono.

Lavi's single eye practically turned into a heart as he perked at the sight.

"Strike!" He cheered. Allen merely sweat-dropped and turned his attention to the woman as she spoke.

"_Greetings. I am Priestess Rao, from Nippon's Capital city."_ She greeted. _"I was sent here to meet you by Empress Himiko."_ Allen blinked a few times for a moment, wondering how she knew them before figuring it probably had something to do with the Order, and offered her a smile and a courteous bow.

"_My name is Allen Walker, nice to meet you."_ He greeted in return. He was about to introduce the others before Lavi whizzed by him for a closer introduction.

"_You can call me Lavi. It's nice to meet you."_ He greeted, his eye still vaguely heart shaped. Bookman landed a solid blow to his head and sent him flying into the wall before landing with little effort, folding his hands back into his large sleeves.

"_Pay my idiot apprentice no mind. You may refer to me simply as Bookman."_ The old man stated simply.

"Owch…that hurt…you old panda…" Lavi whined. Ignoring Bookman and Lavi as the old man knocked his red-headed student around, Lenalee offered a polite bow as well.

"_I'm Lenalee Lee, it's a pleasure to meet you. That man there is Aleister Krory and the one there is Link."_ She said, motioning to them in turn. Nodding as she mentally listed all the names, she turned her attention to Kanda who made it a point to remain far away from the others.

"_And you?"_ She inquired. Kanda was silent for a moment, as though contemplating to just ignore her before answering, _"Kanda."_

"_I'm sorry but you said you were sent here to meet us. Why is that?"_ Allen asked. _"Does it have to do with the Order?"_

"'_Order'?"_ Rao repeated, sounding quizzical. Turning the others, Allen wondered if they were as confused as he was.

"I don't think she even knows about the Black Order." He thought aloud.

"Che…and that surprises you, Moyashi?" Kanda scoffed. Allen bit back a snappish retort for once, deciding to try and figure out what was going on with this woman, Rao, and how she seemed to know them.

"_The 'Order' is an organization. We specialize in destroying Akuma."_ He explained, giving her the short explanation.

"_We've heard a little of them, however, we've had almost no dealings with them."_ Rao answered honestly. _"And you all are part of the 'Order'?"_ She asked, looking them over. Rao seemed thoughtful as Allen nodded in confirmation, motioning to the ground of the cave. _"Well then, I suppose my journey hasn't been in vain then. Let us sit. I have something I need to talk with all of you about."_ Allen exchanged a glance with Lenalee before following her and settling down in something of a circle.

"_You still haven't answered me about how you know about us."_ Allen pointed out carefully.

"_Of course…it was not I who saw you, mind you. As I said before, I come on behalf of Empress Himiko. As you can probably guess by her title, she controls much of Nippon, and has great spiritual power. She saw you all in her crystal ball, fighting the demons in Kamiki but a couple of days ago, and sent me here."_ Rao explained.

"_Crystal ball?"_ Allen repeated.

"_Yes. That is how she is able to keep an eye on this country, and see what is happening to keep it safe, while at the same time, keeping herself safe within the palace."_

"_So she stays safe while other people are in danger from everything going on outside her palace."_ Kanda snorted. _"Sounds like a great Empress."_

"_It isn't like that!"_ Rao snapped, anger flaring in her eyes. _"Empress Himiko does everything she can for her people!"_ Kanda merely 'che'ed but said nothing more.

"_Don't worry about BaKanda, that's just how he is."_ Allen assured in a scathing tone, which was fully directed at Kanda. _"So what does all this have to do with us?"_

"_Have you heard the Legend of Orochi?"_ Rao inquired.

"_Yeah, after we got here and destroyed one of the demons we heard it."_

"_Miss Rao, does the name 'Sakuya' ring a bell?"_ Bookman asked tactfully.

"_Yes. The wood sprite of the Sacred Tree."_ She confirmed, nodding curtly.

"_We met with her just earlier today and she has informed us of all the details already, about 'Shiranui' and the spreading curse."_ Bookman explained.

"_We agreed to look for 'Shiranui' on her request." _Allen added.

"_What the heck are you all talking about?"_ Susanoo interrupted, eyeing them oddly. Until now he'd been hanging back with his nose in the air and his arms crossed, as though refusing to really interact. _"All that stuff about Orochi and Shiranui is nothing but a fairytale. The only thing Shiranui ever was is a statue."_ The man stated matter-of-factly.

"_How can you say that?"_ Rao gasped, jerking back suddenly as if she'd just been slapped, seeming almost appalled. _"You're Nagi's descendant!"_

'_Nagi's descendant? As in the hero from the Legend of Orochi?'_ Allen thought, as he, and everyone else, turned their gazes on him. Nagi froze and looked around at everyone nervously, his whole body tense, his eyes darting with somewhat hidden panic as he tried to think of a response. After a moment he cleared his throat with one hand over his mouth before crossing his arms over his chest again.

"…_Wh-what I meant to say was…that was one-hundred years ago…so all that's history now…"_ Susanoo said quickly with a slight tremor to his voice. More strongly he added, _"If anything big like Orochi came around again, though, then I'd slay it just like Nagi before me, with or without Shiranui! After all, it isn't like an old statue can help me."_ He finished. When everyone continued to stare, he sweated slightly, fidgeting under their prying gazes until they looked away.

"_At any rate,"_ Rao began, still trying to figure out if Susanoo's words were true or just a cover up. _"…it's good to hear that. It was Empress Himiko's request that I ask you to do just that, and her hope that you may be able to help us."_ Rao stated seriously. _"Darkness is spreading in from everywhere and we are trying everything we can to fight it, but there is only so much we can do. So far we've kept the curse from spreading to the other side of Nippon, but we can only keep this up for so much longer."_

"_We understand."_ Allen assured strongly. _"We'll definitely help."_

"That isn't really your decision, Walker." Link cut in. Allen blinked and turned to the blond. He hadn't been sure of whether or not he could speak or understand Japanese, but apparently he could.

"What's the harm in it?" Allen challenged. "We'll pretty much be doing what we always do."

"Fighting Akuma on the Order's orders is different from fighting off this. I can't permit you to agree to this without permission from the higher ups." Link retorted stoically.

"Well we _were_ given orders to track down this 'Divine Instrument' thing, right?" Allen persisted. "And we need to find Shiranui, or Amaterasu or whatever, to find that, don't we?" He pointed out.

"So in a nutshell, we're still carrying through with the mission we were assigned." Lavi added. Link seemed like he'd rather argue the point but didn't say anything else, backing out of the argument.

"_Like I said, we'll help."_ Allen repeated as he turned back to Rao, noticing she seemed quizzical about whether the offer still stood.

"_I see. I'm sure Empress Himiko will be happy to hear it."

* * *

_

Ocean spray soaked Amaterasu's white pelt, her muscle's stiff and aching from clutching onto the wood of the saddle-like platform on Orca's back. Issun had taken shelter in her head-fur but he'd merely ended up tangled in wet strands of fur. Cursing as he shook saltwater from his head and spit some out of his mouth, he tried in vain to detangle himself.

"Are they still on our tail, furball?" Issun called into her ear. Releasing the wood with more difficulty than she thought possible, the white wolf looked back over her shoulder. Just as she'd suspected, the demons were still in hot pursuit, flying over the water swiftly. "They really don't know when to give up!" Issun shrieked angrily. Orca had done a fine job of keeping well ahead. When he had bragged earlier about his speed, he hadn't been kidding. But Amaterasu was sure that he was growing tired, or going to soon. "C'mon, Ammy! Show 'em what for!" Issun jibed. Summoning her Celestial Canvas, she quickly drew a slash and watched with satisfaction as one of the weaker ones snarled in rage and crashed to the water in surprise and pain. "Hah hah! Take that!" Issun cheered.

One of the demons, which looked like something of a hippo with porcupine quills and two pairs of wings – how it could actually fly neither of them had any idea, with its sheer bulk – turned its nose down and shot the spikes from its back toward them.

"Incoming!" Issun cried.

"Hold on tight!" Orca warned. Amaterasu clamped her jaws over the wood rail just before Orca dove underwater. Several of the spikes whizzed by at close proximity, one nearly going through Amaterasu's ear and just missed grazing the side of Orca's face. Sea water flooded through Amaterasu's jaws and nose, flowing into her lungs and making her lungs burn in pain.

Struggling desperately against instinct to gasp for air and inhale more water, she shut her eyes tight and tried to block out the pain, digging her claws into the wood under her paws hurt from the strain of it. Just when her head felt light and she felt as though her lungs would burst she felt air whip through her fur as Orca resurfaced.

Letting go of the wood, she sputtered, coughing up all the saltwater and breathing in much needed air, releasing her death grip on the wood platform. She never thought she'd appreciate air so much!

"Are you okay, furball?" Issun asked carefully. After a moment she rose to her paws, shaking herself as if to assure him. A flash in her peripheral vision was the only warning she had before a black shape crashed into Orca's side, sending them back under. Amaterasu felt her paws leave the platform as water splashed around her again. The goddess in wolf form kicked and paddled furiously, writhing in the water to find the surface. Her eyes finally found it and the rest of her body followed, breaking the surface. She sputtered, looking around frantically. The demons that had been flying were a good distance off, having been thrown off for a few moments when Orca dove underwater, but were quickly speeding toward her.

She suddenly realized that her tiny companion wasn't on top of her head, panic rising in her chest. Preparing herself, she dove back under, water flooding her senses again. She choked back the urge to go back up, literally, and pushed herself further underwater. Everything in her line of sight was blurry, too much to make out anything more then a leg's length away with any detail.

She turned her head as she saw a dark shape out of the corner of her eye. And the dark shape was heading straight for her.

Paddling desperately, she barely managed to avoid the thing's jaws as it torpedoed past, her eyes meeting her attacker's for a moment as it passed. The force of it going by sent Amaterasu into a tailspin before she struggled up to the surface, taking a deep breath of air and once again coughing sea water, succeeding in inhaling a bit more before she got a true breath of air. She darted her head around wildly, her paws churning water before she saw a black fin breach the water turning in a wide circle for her before picking up speed.

She watched its jaws open to reveal countless rows of jagged metal fangs, eyes gleaming as it anticipated its kill.

Expecting to feel flesh-searing pain as its teeth ripped into her and to be dragged under and shook like a rag doll as the last thing she'd ever remember, she was genuinely surprised – and relieved – when Orca crashed into it from below.

The shark-like creature hissed as it was tossed up a good few feet before crashing back into the water, disappearing under the lapping waves. Wasting not a moment, Orca dove under Amaterasu and rose again. The wolf found herself back on the platform, her heart still beating wildly. Now they had another creature to escape and survive-

Issun! She still had to find her small companion! Pricking her ears, she looked around the water wildly, looking for any trace of the small sprite. It was several moments before she heard a familiar piping voice just over the waves, and yipped hopefully, trying to locate him. A few more moments passed before she spotted him, but Orca seemed not to have noticed his disappearance and was intent on speeding away.

Not trying to waste her time alerting him, she leaped headlong into the water, ignoring Orca's cry of shock and warning. Paddling furiously, she pushed herself to reach him as quickly as she could swim.

"…_Furball…sa…blgh…me!_" Issun cried in distress. The canine managed to get her jaws around him just as Orca locked his teeth around her tail, darting away as the black shark creature continued its pursuit. Trying to keep her muzzle above water, Amaterasu scrabbled madly as Orca released her tail before rising out of the water again in time to catch her in the saddle.

Amaterasu finally released Issun, who coughed and shook himself furiously as if he were a dog himself.

"Thanks, furball!" Issun said, grateful for once to be covered in wolf drool.

"Hang on!" Orca warned. "We're going under!" Issun leaped onto Amaterasu's head and tangled himself in her fur, holding on with a death grip while Amaterasu sunk her claws into the wood again. Taking a deep breath, Amaterasu was more prepared this time as she was submerged again, but as they dove deeper than before, the pressure made her head and lungs ache and her ears pop. The shark demon followed in hot pursuit, giving no leave.

Orca only dove deeper, keeping his speed all the way up as well. The neon whale made a bee-line for an opening in a large rock, but it was obvious to Amaterasu that the demon trailing behind them wasn't about to give up either.

As Orca dove inside, Amaterasu swiveled around in the platform, using her Power Slash on the top of the entrance several times in quick succession. The rocks crumbled before breaking off and falling over the entrance. The demon was apparently smart enough not to risk it and pulled up short as the boulders blocked the passageway, leaving only small gaps that Amaterasu herself probably couldn't fit through.

Suddenly they rose out of the water again and she was free to breath once more. They weren't that close to the surface, were they? Looking around, she realized they'd come to an underwater cave, as Orca slowed to a stop near a thin bank of rock, breathing hard through his blowhole.

She noticed for the first time that he had a jagged gash along his side where the demon had originally tee-boned him, no doubt left by its vicious teeth.

"We'll rest here." Orca announced. Obviously it had worn him out a great deal, and who knows how long he'd been trekking across the ocean searching for them?

"I hope we can find some wood or something for a fire…" Issun said, chattering slightly through his teeth. "Otherwise I just might freeze to death…" Amaterasu sniffed in agreement, hopping off Orca to the rock bank and shaking water from her pelt, trotting along it to search for any signs of food or something to warm them, her expression wistful.

How much longer before she'd be able to return _home_?

* * *

"So, how is it going on the Priestess' side?" Waka chimed, seeming to talk to no one in particular as he approached the Sacred Tree.

"_It's going well. The strangers have already decided on helping to locate Amaterasu, as far as it seems."_ Himiko's voice broke into his thoughts.

"Magnifique! So the Priestess is competent after all." He replied in a playful tone.

"_That is a bit harsh, don't you think, Waka?"_ Himiko scolded.

"Relax, ma cherie, I am only joking." Waka assured as he poured water around the base of the tree. "Some people can't take a joke." He murmured more to himself than to her.

"_Perhaps instead of making snide comments you should be working more on helping to fix our current dilemma."_ Himiko replied.

"Don't get your hair in a tangle, for lack of a more crude way to say it. I'm not twiddling my thumbs here, you know." Waka said, leaning his back against Konohana. "Methinks you needs some stress relief." He teased. He heard her mental sigh and smirked slightly.

"_If only there were the time…"_ She indirectly agreed. _"I apologize…I didn't mean-"_

"Say no more, I know. I'm off to Kamui now. Contact me if anything comes up." Waka said, pushing off the tree.

"_Of course…"

* * *

_

"Are you _sure_ you scented people there?" A man wearing a lavender-silver robe and an eagle's mask asked skeptically.

"For the last time, _YES_!" Another man answered. This one was wearing dark purples and reds, with a blue mask of some miscellaneous animal and wild, spiky black and red hair hanging over his back. "I should think even you'd be level headed enough to realize my nose wasn't wrong." He sniffed.

"I sure hope your nose was right." The man in lavender retorted. "Those contraptions at the front bridge nearly blasted me in two!"

"The high and might Samickle, beaten by an old relic. Oh, how the mighty have fallen." The man in purple sneered.

"I'll show you-"

"_Enough!_" The old man leading them snapped, whirling around to face them. His hair was bleached white from age and his body wrinkled and slightly hunched over, his stomach sticking out of his yellow kimono and a brown otter mask over his face. "Keep your senses alert, both of you. If there are intruders as Oki believes, and I'm almost certain there are, then we need to be prepared for whatever they may have in store for us." He warned seriously.

Samickle cast one last glare in Oki's direction before they both nodded and followed the old man, Kemu.

* * *

The Earl lightly touched down to earth again as Road hopped off his shoulder, a narrow hall with floors of thin ice just behind them. Poor Lero had a slight scorch marks on one of its sides from one of the various cannon-like contraptions scattered throughout the giant clockwork place the locals called Wawku Shrine.

"I don't like this place…_Lero_." The parasol objected, looking at its new scorch mark with a grimace.

"Don't worry, Lero. Once we're done here, we'll get you fixed up good as new!" The Earl promised with his usual perpetual grin. He walked ahead into the large, square room. Intricate swirls were carved into panels on the wall while on one side were a pair of mirrors. Candles were lit along the walls while between two hanging clocks was a metal gate leading outside, the crisp air from the snowy outside tickling past through the bars of the iron door.

"_STOP!_" Snarled a commanding voice, causing the Earl to halt mid-step and turn his head.

"Oh? So they've caught up with us~" The Earl mused. "Rodo, Tyki-pet, handle them for me, will you? I'll only be a moment." He promised.

"Oh goody~!" Road chimed, hopping up and down excitedly, a malicious gleam in her eyes. "I get to play, finally!" Tyki merely sighed and let his cigarette fall to the ground.

"Yes, just lovely." Tyki said with a hint of sarcasm as he summoned his Tease. "Well, let's get this over with."

Oki snarled ferally as he, Samickle, and Kemu skidded to a halt. Instantly he reverted to his canine form, a large purple-black wolf with a thick mane and ridge of red fur along the back of neck and down his spine. Samickle drew his sword for battle while Kemu changed to his canine form, a small gold wolf with a white main of fur.

Wasting no time, they rushed forward, Kemu and Samickle going after Tyki while Oki went after Road.

* * *

The wind swirled snow through the air in a flurry, clouds heavy and moving swiftly overhead. The Earl's gaze swept over to a bare white tree ahead as he stepped up a small flight of stairs to a circular platform. Looking down, he noted the platform was a giant clock, the hands inside steadily moving before he walked toward the tree again. It was frozen over with ice and snow, and perched on a thick branch was what appeared to be some clockwork statue of an owl.

"So, it's as he said after all." He noted. He turned to gaze across to a second mountain peak, where the shape of a tree and similar owl shape was just visible. The Earl's eternal grin widened slightly as his gaze shifted to the owl in front of him. The gears and crooks in the thing were packed with snow and ice, encasing it.

"I-i-it's c-c-cold! Lero…" Lero complained.

"Alright, we're finished here." The Earl conceded, turning on his heel and heading back. As he entered, Tyki was knocking Samickle back before turning his attention on Kemu, who was using his smaller size and better speed to try and best Tyki. Despite that, neither were getting very far.

Oki was lunging for Road, missing by inches. Despite the close encounter, Road looked absolutely delighted as she summoned another barrage of candles and sent it flying at him. Stopping where he was, the Oina Tribesman turned canine summoned his own barrage of ice spikes and sent them to intercept Road's candles. Two made it through despite this and made contact, one just grazing him while the other imbedded itself in his shoulder. He howled in pain, snarling rage at Road as she cackled in wicked pleasure.

"Rodo, Tyki-pet~, it's time we headed off." The Earl announced.

"Awe…." Road whined, but dismissed her candles none the less, before summoning her door. The Earl stepped through first, followed by Road. Samickle and Oki lunged for them but Tyki used his Tease to block their attack and knock them away before disappearing as well.

* * *

"That's very good, Hotaru. You make an old Poncle very proud!" Ishaku praised. He was an old sprite, his hair and mustache white with age and wrinkles lining his face.

"Alright, all of you. The lesson's over for today." He announced to the other, younger Poncles around him. He stopped one of the boys as he passed by.

"It's good to see you're improving Kunu. Keep up the good work!" The young Poncle didn't look as convinced as he was.

"Yes, but I'll still never be very good. Your grandson is still much better."

"Bah…if only I could get him to work half as hard as you do." Ishaku sniffed. "Besides, it's not as if he's here anymore." Despite trying to sound uncaring, there was a note of sorrow in his voice. "Go ahead." He said, letting the young one go. Ishaku stretched his arms to the sky, his joints stiff. He really should get out and exercise a bit. Walking through Ponc'tan, he made his way for the hole in the tree stump they called home.

"I do wonder how my grandson is getting along…" He thought aloud wistfully as he entered the clearing.

"Thinking back on old times, are we?" A voice startled the old man half out of his wits. Whipping around, he drew his sword in one fluid motion out of reflex, looking for the person who'd spoken. His gaze landed on a pale-skinned man he knew all too well.

"Still sharp with the blade I see…" Waka chuckled.

"Oh, it's you!" Ishaku piped. "I haven't seen you in a dog's age! Where have you been?" Pausing, he looked Waka up and down for a moment. "All these years and you haven't aged a day. I have to say, even with a Poncle's long life, I'm jealous of your youthfulness. You couldn't have at least aged a little? It makes me feel like _I'm_ the old one."

"It isn't as if I can control it or anything." Waka pointed out. "Besides, where would all these good looks go?" He said with a teasing note, brushing the cloth from his hawk helmet aside, as if to add emphasis to it.

"Still as demure and annoying, I see." Ishaku shot at him, shaking his head.

"Was that supposed to be an insult, flea?" Waka taunted playfully.

"I. Am. Not. A. _Flea_!" Ishaku fumed. Waka merely chuckled.

"Well, in answer to your question, things are both good and bad I suppose. But things will work themselves out eventually."

'_At least I hope so…'_ He added silently.

"So how are things with you, my tiny friend?"

"Good, aside from the fact that my grandson has seen to run away from home." Ishaku sighed.

"Why, on this green world, would he do that?" Waka asked curiously. Ishaku sighed heavily and hung his head.

"I suppose I pushed him to hard in his lessons…and he just up and left…" Hopping up and shaking himself he added, "And the little scamp ran off with my painting of a wood sprite, to boot!"

"You don't say…" Waka mused, though he wasn't without sympathy. "Well, I hope he returns soon."

"I doubt it." Ishaku said. "What are you doing back here in Kamui after all this time, anyhow?"

"Oh, just…dropping by to visit old friends." Waka lied. He didn't see fit to tell Ishaku what was going on outside Ponc'tan and Kamui. Not yet at least. "Anyway, I have things I need to attend elsewhere. Au revoir!" He said before vanishing.

* * *

"Oki!" A girl with long brown hair cried, wearing a deer mask with an orange and white robe on. The Oina warrior was clutching the wound to his shoulder, but trying not to show his pain. "Are you alright?" She asked worriedly.

"Fine." Oki lied, shrugging her off.

"We should get that treated." The Oina girl, Kai, insisted.

"I will, back in the village." Oki promised.

"I can assume you came across intruders then." Kai pieced together.

"We did, but they escaped." Samickle said gruffly, obviously miffed.

"There's nothing we can do now. They intruders are gone." Kemu stated, scuffling down the path towards the village. "We'll come back and check later to be sure. For now, let's head back and rest." The three agreed and followed the old man down the slope.

The cold air and fierce wind was burning Oki's wound with chill pain, making him grimace. He was just glad right now that he had his mask to hide it. He noticed Samickle tense and followed his gaze. At the alter stood a human figure with an unfamiliar scent barely detectible in the whipping air.

Growling, Oki stalked past Samickle toward the Alter overlooking Loachi Lake. Samickle watched for a second before following at a swift pace.

"Hey!" Oki called over the howling wind. The man turned, his skin pale and wearing a pink kimono and dark purple hakama. "Just who are you? This ground belongs to the Oina Tribe!" Oki growled.

"Show some respect!" Kemu growled, catching Oki off guard as the old Cheiftain pushed past him. "This is Captain Waka. He serves directly under the Empress of Nippon." With this said, Kemu turned his attention to Waka. "It's good to see you." He greeted.

"It is good to see you as well." Waka returned, his gaze going from Kemu to the metal contraption beneath the ice.

"I know you well enough to tell…you're here for a reason." Kemu stated matter-of-factly.

"Am I?" Waka asked innocently.

"You don't do anything without a reason." Kemu continued. "So why are you here?" Waka was silent for a moment, gazing out thoughtfully before speaking.

"I suppose, simply a warning." He admitted. Kemu perked curiously as he mentioned this, waiting for Waka to continue. The man held a far off, almost glazed look for a long moment before finally speaking once more.

"_In the Darkest of Days, Time will halt him, and the Light shall be Reborn."_ Waka said thoughtfully. Kemu was tensely silent in thought.

"The darkest of days…that day is almost upon us, isn't it?" Kemu said finally, his voice serious. Waka merely nodded. "What can we do?" Kemu asked. Waka merely turned and offered him something of a smirk.

"Who can say? There are things afoot that even I cannot predict."


	9. Tenjitsu no Saigen, Akebono

**Authors Note:** God, I haven't updated since the beginning of _August_, _really_? *sighs* I…am _such_ a horrible author… especially since you all were getting so hiped for this one! But, I've been very busy with just…EVERYTHING. School, home…literally, EVERYTHING. Aside from that most of my writing time has been taken up by an original story I'm working on that will(hopefully) be published by either the end of the semester or the end of the year(my teacher thinks by the end of the semester, but I don't think I'll finish THAT soon. If you want to read my original story, just look me up on /~kougetsukitsunehinotehakuma 83 ) and every time I tried to write this I had _horrible_ writers block but I finally managed to push through it!  
I think from here on out the chapters will be easier to write though. Anyway, enough with the author's note and apologies.

Thanks go to _lilanimefan247_ for their review on Chapter 7, _SageofAges729_ for their review on Chapter 8, and _Flashlight_maniac_, _Coldman9_, and _Allen_the_Musician_ for their reviews on both chapters!

**Disclaimer:** Again? Really? *sighs* Ugh…fine…I do not own Okami blahblahblah Capcom does blahblahblah nor do I know -Man blahblahblah Katsura Hoshino does blahblahblah

* * *

**Of Divine Instruments and Innocence  
****A D Gray-Man and Ookami Crossover  
****By: Kougetsu_KitsuneHinote_Hakuma**

**Chapter 9: Tenjitsu no Saigen, Akebono**

* * *

"_So she _is_ in China?"_ Allen asked.

"_We believe so."_ Rao said, nodding her head. _"We have already sent someone out to retrieve her. We aren't entirely sure if Shiranui is there or not, but if she is, then they will find her. Aside from that, however, I must leave you. There are things which I cannot delay attending to back at the Capital."_ She said, standing and picking up her things. _"May the spirits of the Air, the Earth, and the Sea protect you."_ She gave them a bow before turning away.

"_Uh, yes. Same for you."_ Allen replied quickly and somewhat awkwardly. Susanoo grunted and stood up, clearing his throat.

"_Well, since it seems I can't reach my training ground, I may as well be off too."_ He said, though Allen couldn't help but notice he seemed very eager to be leaving, inching towards the path back out of Hana Valley as he spoke. Without waiting for anyone to bid him farewell he retreated around the corner in a run, causing them to sweat-drop.

"Well, at least we found out a lot of information from that." Lavi chimed pointedly.

"Yeah, but there's still so much we don't know." Allen sighed. "Not to mention, what if Shiranui…or Amaterasu…" He said. He was still having trouble deciding which was a more proper name. "What if she's not in China? I mean, there's the whole rest of the world out there."

"And there's a chance something happened to her." Lavi pointed out.

"The Inspector also mentioned that the Earl was out to destroy the Divine Instrument." Link added. "There's a possibility it's already been destroyed or that Shiranui has been killed."

'_Way to sound enthusiastic…' _Allen sweat-dropped.

"Yeah, but I thought that she was supposed to be a God or something?" Allen pointed out, still not used to referring to her as a God. "I know the Earl is powerful, but powerful enough to kill a God?"

"But that 'Orochi' thing did." Krory mentioned. Allen involuntarily shuddered as Krory mentioned the demon's name, as though that alone had just brought its influence down on them somewhat. As if on cue to his thoughts, Bookman began to speak up.

"It would be wise to avoid speaking that demon's name."

"Why's that?" Lenalee asked curiously, blinking a few times.

"Y'see, it's a popular belief among many other countries, especially countries like China or Japan, that if you speak a demons' name, that will bring down its curse or summon it to you." Lavi explained simply.

"Che…sounds like a bunch of superstitious bullshit." Kanda scoffed.

"Contrary to your belief, there actually is some truth to it." Bookman replied calmly, unfazed by Kanda's statement. "While this doesn't hold much truth when dealing with Akuma, other sorts of demons like those found here can be unintentionally, or in some cases intentionally, invited to a place by speaking its name, or even mentioning it in some cases. There is a lot of power in a name and words, more so than a lot people realize, unfortunately."

"So then, it would probably be wise not to say its name too often." Allen figured.

"What about our next plan of action?" Link questioned, gazing around at the assembled group.

"That's a good question."

"Well aren't we supposed to wait until this 'Amiturasu' shows up?" Krory ventured.

"A_mate_rasu." Lavi corrected.

"That could take months for all we know, and we can't just sit around here doing nothing." Link stated firmly and clearly.

"But at the same time, what if we miss her?" Allen pointed out.

"There is also a chance that we might miss her waiting here." Bookman added.

"Yeah, and I doubt we can get into that supposed 'training ground' that guy said was behind there." As Lavi said this he indicated towards the rock wall. "Unless there's something here we're missing."

"This whole thing sounds like a waste of time."

"No one asked for _your_ opinion, BaKanda."

"I can state my opinion whenever I like, Baka Moyashi." Kanda retorted.

"How about stating something _useful_ then." Allen returned snidely with just as much venom. "If not I'm sure there's a wall somewhere that would love to hear your useless comments."

"We'll see just how useful _your_ comments are when I lop that smart tongue of yours off." Kanda growled irritably, unsheathing Mugen for good measure.

"Guys…" Lenalee tried to interject.

"I'd like to see that butter-knife of yours get past my Claw." Allen retorted, rearing to go. Of course he knew full well that Mugen was a very dangerous weapon to go against but this had become a bit of a routine of trying to piss Kanda off and he figured there was no need to break tradition just yet.

As he fully expected, a vein along Kanda's forehead bulged as the samurai pointed his prized sword at Allen threateningly.

"Better not start a challenge too big for you to handle with those little kiddy-claws, _Moyashi_." Kanda growled threateningly, a note of warning in his voice.

"Bring it on BaKanda! It's not as if you've ever beaten me before."

"Technically neither of you have ever won."

"Shut up, Lavi." Allen growled at the same moment Kanda barked, "Shut it, Baka Usagi." The red-head merely held up his hands in defeat and inched away. The two teens were just about to leap at each other when Lenalee sprang to her feet.

"_STOP IT! BOTH OF YOU!_" She screamed commandingly, making both Allen and Kanda – yes, Kanda too – flinch for a moment.

"_Che_…you're not even worth it." Kanda sniffed, sheathing Mugen and turning away pointedly.

"Funny, I was about to say the same thing." Allen returned cynically, also turning away. Seeing as neither boy seemed willing to cooperate, Lenalee sighed slightly before making her own decision.

"Well then, I'll contact my brother and see what he thinks."

"That sounds like a good idea. At any rate, I think we should camp here for the night." Bookman suggested, gazing towards the sky which was quickly growing dark. "Nothing stronger than those Imps we fought should bother us here." Link nodded in acceptance and generally everyone else seemed to be in agreement.

* * *

Amaterasu yawned as gentle waves lapped at the rock pathway of the cave, stretching out her shoulders. Her fur was finally dry but it notably smelled more like seawater now than cherry blossoms – something she noted with great dislike. Issun was warmer and dryer but sneezed every so often before ranting about how he'd 'better not have gotten a cold'.

Amaterasu stood up and shook herself one final time before gazing down the pathway.

"Looks like its time to go." Issun guessed.

"I can carry you to the exit." Orca said, but Amaterasu wrinkled her nose.

"We've gotten wet enough, thank you." Issun sniffed bad-temperedly. Orca merely waved his tail in dismissal and glided alongside the path as Amaterasu set off at a trot. It took them a couple of hours of navigating and making wrong turns through many long corridors before they turned a corner and light shone ahead and a new mix of scents reached Amaterasu's home.

It smelled of salt, earth, and most prominent were sakura trees.

"Hot-diggidy-dog! Do ya smell that Ammy? I'd know that smell anywhere! We're nearly home!" Issun cried gleefully. Amaterasu's fur bristled with a mix of hope and apprehension, taking off down the path. The cave finally opened up and she could see land rising visibly across the water.

"Looks like we're gonna have to brave the water one last time…" Issun sighed dejectedly. While Amaterasu didn't want to go into the water again either, the thought of finally making it home hardened her resolve and she padded to the edge of the path, leaping onto the platform.

Taking that as his cue, Orca took off swiftly. He was out to fulfill his mission and didn't want to give the demons time to find them and catch up. It was only a short amount of time before they reached the shore and Orca pulled to a stop next to it. Amaterasu leapt onto solid ground, the first thing she did bending her nose to the ground and inhaling deeply, her tail wagging.

Oh, how good it was to be home!

Turning to Orca, she yipped gratefully. "Yeah, thanks a lot! We really owe ya!" Issun agreed. Orca nodded his head, accepting their gratitude whole-heartedly.

"It was my duty to fulfill my mission, and now that I have, I must return to my queen." With that he dove back into the water and disappeared. After that, Amaterasu turned her gaze back to Kamiki Village.

She noted that it wasn't the way it had been when they'd left it. The ground and plants were burned and a long, deep gash was torn into the cliff in the center of the village, while buildings were singed except for the waterwheel sake mill, which looked newer than before.

Tilting her head, Amaterasu trotted forward. The village itself was damaged but the villager's at least seemed fine.

"Oh, it's you, snowball." Amaterasu turned her gaze back and noticed the village elder, Mr. Orange. She noticed that he had an odd look in his eyes different from before, like both question and respect. "Or perhaps Amaterasu is more correct?" He ventured, stroking his beard thoughtfully.

Amaterasu's head shot up in surprise and Issun stopped hopping as he said this.

"How…how did you know?" Issun yelped, completely surprised by this. Mr. Orange nodded his head.

"I had a vague suspicion before that you were Shiranui, but I had no idea who _Shiranui_ was, until a few days ago." The old man admitted. "As you can see from looking around some things have happened recently. A few days ago a trio of horrible demons attacked the village and went after the Sacred Tree. But, at the same time, a group of foreigners arrived as well who fought the demons off and saved both Konohana and this village."

"Those must be like the demons that came after ya, Ammy." Issun figured.

"I see…so that's why you suddenly disappeared. I almost thought that you appearing had been a dream at first, except that the statue of Shiranui had suddenly vanished…" Mr. Orange recalled. "At any rate, the foreigners headed to Shinshu Field last I saw them. They were looking for you." Mr. Orange said, nodding his head to the exit of the village. He dipped his head respectfully before heading up the path toward the sacred deck.

"Looks like Nippon has had it pretty rough in your absence, Ammy. We'd better pick up the pace." Amaterasu sniffed her agreement and made her way over to the rock wall, summoning her Celestial Canvas and restoring it to its original state.

Satisfied, she turned her attention to the other parts of the village, restoring pieces of buildings that had been broken and moved on to the plants. Those, however, wouldn't restore under Rejuvination's influence and after a while she gave up, shaking her head dismally.

A fatter village woman in blue eyed Amaterasu dangerously from her turnip field as the she-wolf placed a paw in the soil, just daring her to place one more paw forward and made her think better of it, walking around it.

A brown tiger-striped dog yipped and bounded around a boy wearing the same blue before veering over and running over and sniffing at Amaterasu, tail wagging in a friendly manner. The boy made his way over now as well, eyeing her curiously.

"Hm? A white wolf? Now that's just plain weird." The boy noted. "Sure looks like a weak little bugger…think you could beat my dog, Hayabusa? Well listen to this…there's this field my mama tends to, you see…"

As he said this, Amaterasu and Issun's eyes wandered over to the field and the fat woman standing guard in the center.

"Well, Hayabusa managed to dig up nine turnips in a row, even though my mom was chasing him around trying to slug him! There are actually ten turnips in that field…Hayabusa is fixin' to get all ten! Think _you_ can dig up _all _the turnips in my mama's field? Don't forget, you'll have to avoid getting slugged by her! Otherwise it doesn't count."

"Sounds like a rather dangerous endeavor…" Issun noted, the woman looking in their direction suspiciously. She was a rather intimidating figure.

"Well, I understand if ya can't do it. I'll admit you're the better canine if you can, but sounds like you're too chicken." The boy said.

"Too chicken? Ha! We've taken on far worse things then her." Issun said. "C'mon, Am-wha! Where're ya goin'?" Issun quipped as she trotted in a different direction. "It's not like it'd be very harmful, they'll probably just die anyway. Have you seen those things?" Issun pointed out but she just shook her head and continued on to the river. A small wood dock hung over the river where a small old woman was washing her clothing and singing to herself idly, her hair tied up in a bun and an orange on top of her head.

As Amaterasu approached she looked up and offered a smile.

"A white wolf! Now there's a rare sight. Not the white wolf those strangers mentioned, from the legend?" Issun was still surprised but nodded none the less.

"Yep, this here's Shiranui reborn!" Issun said.

"Well this one certainly looks like Shiranui, especially the nose, but I'd better be getting back to work…" She said before mumbling to herself and turning back to her basket. Amaterasu idly looked up partially at Issun while the sprite looked down. After a moment Mrs. Orange saw them out of the corner of her eye and turned back.

"Oh, still there? Here to listen to the ramblings of an old woman are you? Well I was here doing laundry but when it was ready to dry I noticed my drying pole was gone. Oh, whatever shall I do? Would _you_ mind helping me find it? I don't know how that thing just managed to disappear on me…" Amaterasu yipped to show she'd heard before turning away, padding over to where the pole should've been.

"Hm…she's missing something that should be there, is she? I wonder, would Rejuvination work, furball?" Issun inquired. Amaterasu tilted her head but used her brush powers to draw a line from one post to the other where the pole should've been. To her pride a drying pole materialized where one used to be, startling Mrs. Orange half out of her wits.

"A new drying pole? Oh my! Where did that come from?" She exclaimed before looking to Amaterasu. "You truly _must_ be a God if this is your doing. How wonderful! Time to dry the laundry." She said. She took several moments to hang it up before walking over to Amaterasu, petting her across the head. "Come by my place tonight for some delicious Cherry Cakes won't you?"

"Sounds good to us." Issun said before Amaterasu could get a word…er…bark in. Unseen to Mrs. Orange's eyes several orbs of light drifted off her before disappearing into Amaterasu's fur. With that the she-wolf turned away and trotted to a small rice field where a woman was tending her rice, her paws splashing through shallow water.

The woman dressed in a red and gold kimono noticed and ran over, petting Amaterasu's head gently.

"Well, what a fine looking wolf. What's your name?" She asked, as though Amaterasu could actually answer. "Mine's Kushi, it's a pleasure to meet you."

"Working in the fields again, are ya?" Issun piped.

"Issun! Are you and the wolf together? This is where I grow the rice for making my sake, you know. But I have to manage the harvest all on my own. It's hard work. Luckily it wasn't damaged too badly when those demons attacked. Maybe I should have Susanoo give me a hand again this year. Oh, listen to me blabbering on! I just can't help chatting to you!"

"Why Ammy, I think ya found a friend here!" Issun noted. "I think you'll meet many people who want to talk to you like this. You should remember these particular people, y'know? They might even have a bit of valuable information sometimes. Of course they may just be muttering to themselves, but it pays to listen." The sprite said in her ear. Amaterasu shook him away from her ear before grunting in agreement and stepping over, nudging Kushi's shoulder slightly as she bent over a stock of rice to get her attention.

"So what was that you were sayin', babe?" Issun quipped for Amaterasu.

"Oh, well…Susanoo's a neighbor of mine. He's a little unususual but…He always goes around with a large sword. He's supposed to be a descendant of Nagi, you know? If you see him say hello to him, would you? He could use a friend, I should think. He's always on his own. Not sure where he is now, though…He seems to have run off since a little while before those demons showed up…" She noted, a look of concern on her face.

"We'll say a few words to him if we see him." Issun said before Amaterasu turned away. It didn't seem there was really anything else to do in this part of the village so Amaterasu trotted toward the sacred tree, a bit worried as to how it was fairing.

As she reached the three way split between the village, sacred deck, and sacred tree a man standing there with an odd bamboo basket over his head looked around alertly.

"Ah…I feel it. I sense it. Foul beasts dwell in this place!" He declared as Amaterasu tilted her head, stepping over toward him. It appeared as though he looked down at her as he spoke again. "Concentrate. Look hard. You see, right behind you now…" As he said this, a demon arena popped up around her, a trio of green imps appearing in a whiff of purple and black smoke with a shrill tune of their flutes. Growling wickedly, the creatures leapt at her.

Amaterasu leapt back away from them, baring her fangs and tensing her muscles. Her weapon, Divine Retribution flickered excitedly, eager to take down the foul little things. Two prowled around out of reach while one lunged forward. Amaterasu lashed out with Divine Retribution, slicing into the Imp's stomach and earning a pained squeal from it. The demon spun away but she pursued, whirling around in harmony with her weapon before bringing it crashing through the demon's skull and bringing it down permanently, ending with a Power Slash.

One of the Imps behind her blew a shrill tune through its flute and the shockwave knocked her back with a snarl into the wall of the Demon Arena. She shook off her daze in time for the other Imp to slash her shoulder with its jagged claws and she reeled back in pain before lashing forward.

Three swift swings of her reflector brought the second Imp down before she whirled on the third, the demon snarling at her with malice. The last of the imps lunged forward but she ducked below its flailing claws, biting down on its ankle and pulling its leg out from under it. With a shriek the demon fell to the ground heavily and Amaterasu wasted no time, bringing her reflector down to end it.

The Imp gave a last death wail before falling still and the three demons bloomed into tall, stocky flowers until the Demon Arena lifted and the flowers disappeared into speckles of light.

At this point Amaterasu turned her attention back to the man as he began to speak.

"Humans are not witness to such battles but I saw it! Hm…you fight well." He noted. "I have chosen the path of Buddha, but in you I sense another power. And I see the path you have chosen is also a path of truth." As he said this, orbs of light came off him like they had with Mrs. Orange and disappeared inside Amaterasu's fur. The man gazed up toward Konohana at this point.

"The monsters may be gone, but this place still lacks life. The land does not have enough power to give to the sacred tree. I hope for all our sake's that things improve soon." With this said he nodded curtly and went back to playing music on a thick wood flute idly.

Shaking herself, Amaterasu headed up toward the sacred deck.

Galloping up the stairs to the cliff top she made her way out onto the deck, claws clicking on wood as she gazed over at Konohana. The tree looked in even worse shape then before, the curl of the branches sagging a bit while the wood looked as though it wasn't getting the proper nutrients from the earth and water and soil around it. It seemed about ready to topple over the edge of the cliff even.

"Wow…Nippon really _must_ be in bad shape since we left." Issun noted quietly. Amaterasu perked as she saw a flicker of light before it swirled out of the tree till it was in front of them and Sakuya appeared, the scent of cherry blossoms washing over her and her companion, but there was something off about the scent. It was dryer, more sickly, like rotting leaves and fruit.

"Ah…Glorious Amaterasu! I am overjoyed to see you safely returned to Nippon! Forgive my late greeting, my influence has grown far too weak and it took me a while to recognize your presence…" She apologized humbly.

"Man, things have really gone down the dumps since we left, haven't they?" Issun piped.

"Things have not been well in your absence." Sakuya admitted. "I have nary any strength at all…it won't be long until I'm completely overwhelmed by the curse that has befallen the land. Even now I can barely hold the curse outside the borders of the village at bay…you have arrived just in the nick of time, Mother Amaterasu."

"So what are we supposed to do then?" Issun questioned. "I mean, I know Ammy's a God and all, but we haven't had any luck so far. If anything we've had nothing but bad luck. And I hope we're gonna get a reward for all this." He added.

"I must apologize…I would like to reward you, but I have not the strength to even make a flower bloom." She said, directing with her hand towards the sacred tree. "Though my body stands firmly within the confines of the village, my roots spread far and wide, protecting remote areas outside. These parts of me are known as Guardian Saplings. They collect the praise and adoration that gives me strength."

"Kinda like those lights that come off people to you, Ammy." Issun noted. "That's the Praise that Sakuya's talking about. It's the manifestation of peoples thanks to the Gods and the land."

"Indeed," Sakuya said. "But the recent evil is eroding the Guardian Saplings…If this continues any longer, I will wilt away, and my power will vanish. Worse yet, the dark power grows stronger with each passing day. Life as we know it will be consumed utterly in no time…"

"But then that would mean everything would pretty much be gone! Aw man…this is gettin' heavy…" Issun murmured.

"Had it not been for those strangers appearing but a few days ago, I would not be standing now even, and Nippon would be finished already. Great and powerful Amaterasu! Could I be so bold as to request your assistance in rejuvenating these Guardian Saplings by lifting the curse that enslaves them?" Amaterasu yipped in acceptance of this request, eager to help the land and restore it to its natural beauty.

"I thank you greatly, Amaterasu. I must retire to rest now, I have grown tired…I haven't even the strength to speak now. Amaterasu, may the fresh scent of flowers protect you always!" She said before fading away into an orb of pink light, flying back towards the tree and swirling around it before disappearing entirely.

"Bah…I'm always itchin' for a good fight, but…I sure don't wanna poke my nose into this mess!" Issun quipped as Amaterasu turned and started heading back down to the village. "Still, I'm stuck with you till I get all the brush skills, furball…anyway, you're a god and all, right Ammy? I mean, what could possibly go wrong? So, you get the rest of the brush techniques to save the world, and I'll steal and learn 'em! Yeah, that's the ticket!"

Amaterasu shook her head with an inward sigh as she listened to her companion ramble on.

"Oh come on, don't be like that, furball! This'll be a great adventure, I can feel it!" He piped. "At any rate, let's head out to Shinshu Field. We won't find any brush gods in Kamiki after all, and Mr. Orange _did_ mention that those guys went out there, right? Wonder who they are…and why they're looking for ya, but I guess there's only one way to find out." He paused a moment and gazed up at the sky as it grew dark. "For tonight though, I say we chill out and go have some of those Cherry Cakes the old granny offered us, how 'bout you?" Amaterasu would have protested had her stomach not let out a rather loud growl in answer. "Cherry Cakes it is then!"

* * *

"I see…so this wolf has the Divine Instrument?" Komui noted from the other end of the ear-piece. "And the wolf itself is supposedly a god of those lands?"

"That's right." Lenalee confirmed, nodding, even though her older brother couldn't see it. "We're trying to decide on what we should do from here. According to Rao there was someone who was sent to find 'Shiranui', so she should be coming back here. Some of the others think we should stay where we are and wait a while, and the others think we should leave and look elsewhere. For now we've decided to camp out the night."

"I see…well in my own opinion I think it would probably be better to set out in the morning to search where you can, but stay close to that area, especially since it sounds as if a good area of the land is inaccessible due to the cursed zone."

"Also…Allen mentioned that he wanted to help improve things here, since Shiranui has the Divine Instrument anyways, but Inspector Link doesn't approve…" She added a bit more uncertainly, casting a glance toward the others as they sat around a small fire they'd managed to make using some dry plants growing along the edge of the cliff. "And I doubt Shiranui will want to leave here with things how they are…"

"I'd have to check with the higher ups first…" Komui said after a long pause. "It sounds as if the Earl is planning something there, so it might be better if you all did." He paused a moment before speaking again, this time sounding like he was speaking with someone in the office rather than Lenalee. "Ah, Inspector, I was just about to send for you."

Lenalee inwardly shuddered, knowing exactly who Komui was talking to without needing to hear the name. "Lenalee, could you get Link? Leverrier would like to speak with him."

"Alright." Lenalee said, heading over to the group, gazing at Link. "My brother asked for me to tell you he and Inspector Leverrier wished to talk with you." She informed. The blond man nodded and rose from his seat, taking the long-range golem with him to the edge of the cave where Lenalee had been talking with Komui over the ear-piece.

"So, anything yet?" Allen asked curiously, blinking a few times at her.

"My brother has to talk to some of the higher ups first about staying here and helping get rid of the cursed zones and such, so I don't really know yet…" Lenalee said, shrugging slightly.

_I hope they let us…I'd like to help out here too if there's anything I can do…_

* * *

Rao descended the cliffs into the thicket of bamboo in the middle of the cliffs of Taka Pass. Despite that the rest of Taka Pass was enveloped in a large Cursed Zone this area was protected from the evil influence, at least for now. Making her way into the bamboo glade she headed for a stairway path leading down the hill.

A large tiger stretched that was laying stretched out rose to its paws and prowled into the cover of the bamboo, golden eyes watching Rao until it disappeared from sight. Not at all concerned – tigers here were a common sight after all – she made her way down the zig-zagging stairs until it opened up into a ravine, the side of a building towering above to her right.

A large sparrow, as big as a child, jumped as it noticed her. The bird was dressed in a kimono like one would expect of almost any person in Nippon and looked a bit young.

"_Chirp!_ How-how'd you get here? There's no way through outside…oh, um, I'm sorry, our hot spring is closed due to…to…the hot springs drying up…" The sparrow yammered on before falling silent, looking over at a round dip in the stone.

"I'm not here for the hot springs. I'm Priestess Rao, from the capital city. I'm interested in a room for the night. Is there one available?" She asked curiously.

"O-oh, um…y-yes, right this way please! I'm sorry, I wasn't aware th-that Sei-an City's Priestess was you!" He chirped as he hopped up and started towards the door.

"It's alright, I don't expect you to automatically know." She said, noting that he was fairly young, probably never even having left the confines of Sasa Sanctuary. Heading inside, they walked down a short hallway before coming out to the main room, a grand staircase leading up to the second story while a check-in desk stood at the base just off to the side.

"Oh? Why it's you, Rao!" The attendant chirped, polishing his glasses with one wing for a moment. He was a bit of an older Sasa sparrow with the typical light brown to orangey feathers, a chocolate brown spot on the top of his head. "I haven't seen you here in a while. It looks like you've been traveling a bit…" He noted. "But how did you get in here? All of Taka Pass is blocked off."

"All but the topmost cliffs and around the Inn is." She confirmed with a nod. The attendant nodded slightly in understanding before turning his gaze to the stairs as a younger female sparrow came down them.

"You there...Cho." He said, beckoning for her to come down.

"_Chirp_, yes sir?" She inquired, standing at attention brightly.

"Take Priestess Rao to the second room on the left."

"_Chirp_, right away, sir!" She replied, offering Rao a bow. "This way please, Priestess." She said before bouncing up the steps with a bit of effort. The entire interior of the Inn was made up of thick bamboo stalks that were obviously chosen and cut to perfection, by a very skilled artisan obviously, though Rao was sure she knew who.

Heading up the stairs, another young female sparrow came down and swerved around her with an tray of empty dishes.

"P-pardon me, excuse me!" She chirped frantically as she passed.

"_Chirp_! Sen! What've I told you about running into guests? Be more careful!" The attendant chittered, feathers ruffled slightly. Rao chuckled as the young sparrow frantically apologized before darting off to have the dishes taken care of.

At this point they reached the room where a young male sparrow was setting up a table in the center and re-ordering everything, putting it back in its proper place.

"If you need anything at all, Priestess, just ask." Cho said with a respectful bow.

"Thank you. Some food would be nice." She said, dipping her head to the little she-sparrow.

"Yes, right away!" Cho chirped, heading off. Rao set her belongings down against one wall and noticed the male sparrow eyeing her with great interest.

"Is there something you want to say?" Rao asked with a slight chuckle, making his feathers ruffle slightly in embarrassment before he quickly got over it.

"Ah! You're the priestess of the capital, aren't you?" He asked curiously.

"I am." Rao confirmed, nodding curtly.

"Do you ever have to fight monsters? Are they very big? Do you get scared?" He asked all at once, seeming a bit excited.

"Well…do I ever fight monsters? Yes, I do, though they're mostly just troublesome little Imps, nothing beyond most of what you'd see here, so no, they aren't very big. No bigger than maybe a person anyway. And I suppose sometimes…monsters can be very scary things."

"Wow, even a great priestess like _you_ gets scared? What kind of monsters did you fight when you did? Were they big or just really strong, or maybe really ugly? What was the _worst_ monster you've faced? I wanna hear it all!"

"Daisuke!" The male Sasa sparrow flinched slightly at the reprimanding tone as Cho returned with a tray of food. "Stop pressuring the guest when they've just arrived! Need I remind you of the first rule at Sasa Inn? When interacting with guests, use consideration and hu-mility." She recited to a tee.

"_Chirp_. You aren't in charge of me." He retorted indignantly, lifting his beak to her.

"Go." Cho said, pointing with the tip of her wing to the door. "Or I'll tell Big Daddy on you."

"Fine…" Daisuke conceded none-too-happily, walking toward the door. He briefly turned around, walking backwards as he exited. "Tell me those stories later, will you?" He asked hopefully.

"Sure, I might have time for one or two." Rao agreed, nodding slightly with a smirk. Sasa sparrows were so funny sometimes, a little sassy and headstrong but up front and honest. Too bad some people couldn't learn from their example.

"Here you are, Priestess." Cho said in a polite tone, laying the food out on the table.

"Thank you. I don't require any more tending to at the moment." She excused. Cho briefly bowed before leaving the woman alone in the room. She waited a few moments before idly looking around the room.

"I know you've been watching me for a while…" She spoke. "How are things on your end so far?"

"_Not much has changed, but Waka says that the wheels of fate are about to start turning. I fear for what the future might harbor… things are very uncertain at this point._" Rao nodded her agreement, about to speak before Himiko interrupted her thoughts. "_However…perhaps things are no longer so dire as I thought for a time…Shiranui has returned to Nippon._"

"She has?" Rao asked, a bit surprised. It had only been earlier that day that she had talked to and left the strange foreigners from the Order behind and she didn't expect things to improve so soon.

"_Yes, I sensed her presence return only a short while ago, just before you reached the Inn._" Himiko replied.

"I see…well at any rate, I hope then that those people meet her soon. Now that the goddess has returned, we finally have a chance against this great darkness."

"_Indeed. As soon as you are rested, I need you to return as soon as you are able. There are things we must attend to here as well._"

* * *

"Oi…" Allen twitched slightly as he was poked in the ribs. "Oi…Moyashi-chan~, wakey-wakey~ Mo-yaaaa-shi-chaa-_Oof_!" Allen smacked the red-headed annoyance known as Lavi in the chest with a fist as he sat up, rubbing his eyes.

"How many times have I told you not to call me that, Lavi?" Allen deadpanned, unamused. No matter how many times he said it, both Lavi and Kanda called him that horrid nickname, but at least Kanda didn't add that girly honorific at the end.

"More times then I care to keep track of…and that was _mean_…" He whined, acting hurt as he rubbed his chest where Allen had hit him.

Allen gazed at the sky but couldn't help but notice it was still pretty dark, turning a bit of an annoyed gaze on the red-head.

"And why did you wake me up, exactly?" Allen asked. He knew it wasn't his turn to keep watch since he'd already done so, so he figured Lavi better have a good reason for doing so.

"It's almost dawn." Lavi said with a lopsided grin as the others started to get themselves up as well.

"Already?" Allen sighed, running a hand down his face. He felt like he'd barely slept a wink, but despite this he got up anyway, brushing off his exorcist uniform and brushing out his white hair very briefly before idly gazing at his companions who were doing similar things.

'**Look alive, boy…I'm sure you can do better than that.'** The fourteenth's voice broke through his thoughts, making the teen scowl slightly.

'_Since when have you been the least bit concerned by my appearance?'_ He challenged. Honestly, beyond just being irritated, he was also a bit confused. He didn't exactly think the fourteenth Noah as one to care that much about looks, especially for his host rather than himself.

'**Never before and not now…'** Allen's inner demon replied in an amused tone. **'Just a thought, that's all. After all, you'll want to look your best when you greet the morning.'** Allen was even more confused, something that was reflected in his silver eyes.

'_And what exactly do you mean by that?'_ Before he could get a reply, though it was apparent he wasn't going to get one at all, Lavi gazed over in time to see Allen's confused expression.

"Something wrong, Moyashi-chan?"

"It's _Allen_!" He snapped. The fourteenth had already annoyed him before the day even began and he didn't need Lavi annoying him the rest of the day too. Sighing, he said, "It's nothing." Lavi merely shrugged and went back to his morning tasks and before long the group was generally ready to head out, Krory just kicking some dirt over the remnants of their fire.

Link idly gazed around before it lingered over Allen a moment and the teen inwardly hoped the man hadn't noticed his expression earlier when he'd been having his internal conversation with the traitor Noah.

"You guys hear that?" Lavi asked as the sky was slowly lightening. It wasn't long before the sun would be up. Going silent, the others listened carefully. Allen heard what sounded like the whirring of one of those strange trees and then one of those exploding things they threw go off. "Someone's coming…" He said, his hand twitching over Iron Hammer where its holder was strapped to his thigh. Allen slipped off the glove on his left hand at about the same time, preparing for a possible enemy, a tenseness falling over the whole group.

There was an odd, high pitched sound, almost like a voice bouncing off the cliffs that seemed oddly familiar. Allen didn't know why, searching his memory but came up empty.

The sound of footsteps…more than one pair it seemed, became more and more audible. As the new figure appeared, Allen's eyes widened. Stepping from around the cliff wall, a radiant white wolf with swirling red markings appeared, a dark green disk engulfed in fire hovering over its, and wise golden eyes gazed toward the group and met with his.

"So it _was_ you…"

* * *

**Authors Note(2):** Okay, normally I have more patients to do stuff like re-read my chapters, this time I didn't, so there's probably a shitload of errors throughout it. Just ignore it, chapters are getting a grammarical overhaul after or when I upload chapter 10.

On that note, I also forgot most of what I typed since I've been stuck on the part with Rao entering Sasa Sanctuary for a good few months and just want to get this out of the way for now. You all read it, so you already know what's happened anyway. *sighs* I need some good ol' mountain dew and sushi and a day off…

Please leave a **REVIEW!** It'll really help right now for writing new chapters! Kou out.

Next Chapter: Great Divine Intervention


	10. Great Divine Intervention

**Authors Note:** ffffffffffff I'm so sorry for such slow updates *pouts* HOWEVER, as I said previously, I've been really busy…but with a three day weekend and a bit of reprieve, I was able to break out a new chapter for all of you, my loverly readers! =D

The first scene was a little harder to write, owing to I had to look up a lot of stuff, but I love this scene and I get to introduce a pair of characters who'll be important to plot later on XD

Special thanks to the three anonymous reviewers(whose names aren't showing up, if they're there. Sorry *frowns*) and _one who walks the path of fire_ for all their lovely reviews! You guys are the best out of my readers, ne! =^.^=

**Disclaimer:** ffffffffff NO, FOR THE LAST TIME, I DON'T OWN D GRAY-MAN, KATSURA HOSHINO-SENSEI DOES! Sheesh…

* * *

**Of Divine Instruments and Innocence  
****A D Gray Man and Ookami Crossover  
****By: Kougetsu_KitsuneHinote_Hakuma**

* * *

**Chapter 10: Great Divine Intervention**

Salty waves crashed against the side of an old wood ship, the waves only barely visible from the light reflecting off the descending moon, travelling across the Sea of Japan, towards the waterway between Siberia and Kamui, a cold wind blowing across deck. Only a few of the crew were working around deck, dawn not far off. A pair of brown eyes gazed out at the waves from the bowsprit, one hand firmly holding onto the ropes leading up to the foremast, seawater splashing up and falling just short of the young woman's boots.

Her sharp ears picked up on the sound of boots approaching, turning her head to gaze over at another young woman, only a couple short years older than her, leading on the wood railing.

"You know the Captain'll get mad if he catches you just sitting there." She said.

"Aye, that I do, Jarro, but if he asks, I'm keepin' watch." The younger of the two wore a brown rough leather vest over a linen shirt with baggy sleeves, tied off at the wrist by a thin black cord, that was once white but had been stained a more gray-ish cream brown color. Dark-gray silk pants hung over her legs and were tucked into her boots, not as sturdy as the canvas trousers but more preferable and comfortable. Around her waist and up her chest was a brown sash with a cutlass resting against her hip in its scabbard, and criss-crossing her torso were belts with a few bandoliers hanging off them, each with a loaded pistol sitting in it.

Unlike many of her shipmates, her black hair was well kempt and trim, tied into a ponytail and tucked neatly beneath a basic tricorn hat and she had a pretty face despite that it was a little grimy from months at sea, a young Japanese woman, with alert, dark eyes. Her comrade was also a Japanese woman, dressed in similar attire, and somewhat longer hair that was tied into a loose ponytail at the back of her head, with the strands fanning out down her back.

"Well look alive, because he'll be up soon and ye' know he won't be too happy to see you sittin' here, 'keeping watch'." Jarrolin reminded, one hand resting over the pommel of the sword at her belt.

"Yes, yes, I know that." Jin rolled her eyes slightly even as she stood up and crept down the bowsprit back to the deck. "Bilge talk an' all that."

"We'll be making port soon, not for more than a day, but long enough we should be able to go to town."

"So we make our rounds on board then find somewhere we can splice the mainbrace, aye?" Jin grinned.

"Aye, splice the mainbrace it is!" Jarrolin agreed, smirking as her dark eyes danced in amusement. They paused as they heard someone running up the wooden water-soaked stairs from below deck.

"Captain!" A man all but screamed, using the rail at the top to help him turn and make a dash for the captain's cabin. Even before he reached it, a burly Russian man in a heavy black dress coat appeared, gazing over at the crewman with cold eyes.

"What be the problem, Victor?"

"Hans, sir…Hans is dead! He was murdered, throat sliced by a gully, that he was, sir." He reported quickly.

"Murder, you say?"

"Aye." Many of the others in the crew had gathered to hear the commotion, murmuring to each other.

"And what makes ye' think he was murdered by any of us? There ain't no one else here, and had there been, we would've found 'em by now." One of the men in the crowd challenged.

"Well if Hans 'ad killed himself, I'm sure it would've been obvious enough to see." The burly captain said. "Seein' as he was my first mate, someone may have been hoping to take his position." He said, his suspicious gaze travelling the group, and in turn each member in the group was gazing suspiciously at each other. Crew or not, murder and mutiny were not something that was unheard of, in fact it was more common than not. "Well, whoever they are will probably be sadly mistaken. Jin!" He called out, his dark eyes searching out the young woman.

"Aye, sir?" She replied, standing up straighter.

"Congratulations. Yer going to be my new first mate."  
"Sir, are ye' certain?" She questioned, blinking a couple of times.

"Do I look like I'm joking to you?" He retorted. She quickly offered a boy.

"Thank you, Cap'n. I'll do my best." She replied humbly.

"See that'cha do. Now, all you bilge rats and sea dogs, see to it that you throw Hans to the fishes. Ain't no use keepin' a deadweight on board and it'd be bad for business of someone saw anything." He informed, before briskly turning and disappearing back inside his cabin. Jin momentarily glanced to Jarrolin before following the Captain inside.

* * *

As gray dawn broke over the distance waves, land was visible and fast approaching, the ship navigating past chunks of ice and glacier at a steady pace, pulling up to the shoreline, a pair of men setting out the gangplank to the dock.

The Captain led first with Jin at his heels, meeting a small group of Japanese men tending the ships at the dock. The one who seemed to be in the lead smiled and offered a boy, the captain doing so in return, simultaneously taking off his hat and holding it to his chest.

"Ohaiyou gozaimasu. Boku no namae wa Hideaki desu. Genki desu ka?" He greeted warmly.

"Jin, translate, would you?" the Captain said.

"Of course, Captain. He says good morning, and that his name is Hideaki. He also asks if you are well." She said, gazing at him intently.

"I see. Tell him that I am very good, and that I would like to trade at this port." He said curtly and decisively.

"Hai, o genki desu. Watashi no namae wa Jin desu, _(this is Captain Vineer)_." She replied with a slight bow, before going on to relay the rest of the message and translate back and forth. Jarrolin gazed at the exchange before it shifted out to sea, hands idly shoved in her pockets, before her eyes widened, flashing red for a moment before reverting to a dark brown, the woman turning away from the sea towards land.

* * *

Himiko raised her sleeve over her face as a spark of energy ignited from her Crystal Ball, the image of the European ship disappearing as the young Japanese woman gazed directly at her through it, her eyes flashing red. After a moment she lowered it again, her eyes troubled.

"The work of a demon…I feared such a thing may happen…" She spoke to herself, once again folding her hands in front of her, the very end of the sakaki branch in her hand dusting the ground. "The item must reach Sei-an City safely…we cannot let it fall into the hands of the Dark Lord…" She shook her head slightly, closing her eyes so that her red eye shadow showed more prominently along her upper lids. Raising one hand, she once again opened them and the crystal ball showed a new image, what looked to be a large room of coral with bubbles of light floating around the room.

_"King and Queen of the Dragonians…hear me…I need your help."_

* * *

"So it _was_ you…" Allen breathed, stormy gray eyes widening slightly. The wolf's golden eyes lit up slightly and her ears perked. Despite that she knew many faces, she remembered his, and was relieved to see that he hadn't died.

"Guess that mean's Allen's not crazy after all, right, Yuu-chan?" Lavi smirked.

"Stop calling me that you fucking rabbit!" Kanda snarled, glaring death at Lavi, who held up his hands in a placating manner.

"Chill, buddy." He tried to calm, while Kanda growled in his throat. Allen stepped forward and stopped in front of the wolf and kneeling down, petting the top of her head.

"_So are you…Amaterasu...or Shiranui?_" He questioned, as if expecting an answer.

"_Both, tehnically._" A piping voice responded, as Issun made an appearance from in Ammy's comfy white fur, landing on the top of Allen's hand, at the same moment that the others came over as well.

"And that's two for Moyashi-chan, Yuu-chan zero on the argument that he's crazy." Lavi grinned.

"I swear Baka Usagi, if you don't shut the fuck up…" Kanda growled, letting the threat hang in the air menacingly even as he pointed Mugen at the red head, who once again tried to placate his Japanese comrade.

"_I remember you too…_" Allen said as he blinked down at the small figure. "_So…um…what are you exactly?_" He questioned at the same moment that Issun was silently just _daring_ the albino kid to call him a bug.

"_I'm a Poncle, of course! The name's Issun, Issun the Wandering Artist!_" The sprite piped.

"_Wandering artist?_" Lenalee echoed. Issun gazed over at her before hopping into the air.

"_Well, he-llo hot stuff!_" He greeted flirtatiously, the air almost seeming to fill with pink hearts above his head, making everyone around him and Ammy sweatdrop.

"_When did you get back here? We thought you were supposedly in China…_" Lavi voiced, curious.

"_We were…and man, was it rough! But then this pink and purple whale took us back across the water…but it wasn't all that easy, let me tell you! We got chased almost the whole way back home! That is, here._" Issun voiced, everyone once again sweatdropping as he mentioned the pink and purple whale. "_You guys must be the ones Gramps mentioned was looking for us, right?_"

"_Yeah…actually, we were supposed to find something called a Divine Instrument…and we heard that you…or that is, Amaterasu, had it._" Allen explained.

"_Oh, that? 'Course Ammy has it! She _is _a God after all!_" He said. "_What exactly are you doing here, anyway?_" Issun questioned, equally curious.

"_Well, aside from looking for you and Amaterasu, we were told about some sort of crystal ball in here that makes plants grow and thought it might help with the Guardian Saplings that Sakuya mentioned…but so far, no luck._" Allen sighed.

"_Wait, so you talked to Sakuya then?_" Issun inquired, a few of the group nodding in the affirmative. "_It's not every day the wood sprite herself appears before regular humans._" He said. Allen would have liked to point out that they couldn't really be considered 'normal' but refrained from doing so as he stood up.

"_At any rate, we can't really go any deeper because the cave ends here…though we're not sure if there might be some trick to getting in. It certainly seems like there is._" Lavi said, folding his arms behind his head casually. "_And that guy that called himself Susanoo said there was a way in here somewhere._"

"_Bah…Susanoo? Why the heck would he be in a place like this?_" Issun said.

"_Something about a secret training ground…_" Lenalee offered.

"_Training? I'm not sure I've seen Susanoo train seriously for a single day in his life…but anyway, if there's a way in, I could probably spot it no problem._" He boasted.

"_Well, we're pretty sure there's a puzzle to going further in…_" Lavi said, gazing over at the mural. Amaterasu tilted her head and trotted past them to the ledge facing the mural, gazing at it, whereas Allen and Lavi followed suite, with Bookman behind them and Link close by to keep an eye on Allen.

"_Hmm…it looks like the picture is lacking something…_" Issun noticed immediately. "_Where's the sun? Hey Ammy, think you could draw one on there?_"

"_Draw one on there? How can you even reach it?_" Allen wondered.

"_Heh heh…watch this and be amazed! Alright Ammy, let's do some brushwork!_" Issun piped, hopping on top of her head. Summoning up her Celestial Canvas, everything around her seemed to freeze, the sun goddess in wolf form drawing a sun using her tail before dropping it when she was finished, and like magic, a sun appeared on the mural and a reddish-orange tint appeared around the other illustrations of the tree, orb, and people.

To everyone else's eyes, who couldn't see the Celestial Canvas, the sun just seemed to pop into the picture and Lavi had to rub his eye and look again to see if he was hallucinating.

"What the…am I the only one who saw that? Or rather…_didn't_ see that…whatever it was?"

"I saw it but I'm questioning it myself." Allen said, shaking his head.

"_Heh heh…that's the power of the Celestial Brush! Pretty neat, huh?_" Issun quipped, not needing to understand their words to know the gist of what they were saying. Only a few seconds passed before the ground started to rumble and the Exorcists and goddess braced themselves.

"Somethings happening…" Lavi said, stating the obvious.

"No _shit_ somethings happening, baka usage!" Kanda barked. Suddenly a sun pattern appeared on the boulder that was blocking the path heading deeper into the cave before cracks started to appear along it, before bursting open, the rocks falling onto the path and into the small lake below them.

"It worked!" Lavi exclaimed, grinning like an idiot before a grimace crossed his face and he plugged his nose, a new stronger wave of that same miasma rushing out from the cave now that it was unblocked. "…and now it smells worse." If not for the fact that Allen was also getting a new onslaught of the stinging smell in his nose, he would have grinned at Lavi as he said, "Happy now?"

"Only marginally…" Lavi replied, while Ammy made a face and pawed at her nose with a whimper.

"Let's just get this over with, shall we?" Allen proposed, Ammy shaking herself off and trotting down the path. The murky brown water from before now flowed down as a waterfall to the dingy lake below. Walking to the path, Amaterasu tilted her head at the brown stream and padded over, experimentally pressing her paw into it, the water, which seemed closer to flowing mud, squished audibly and built around her white paw, the goddess wrinkling her nose and pulling her paw away to shake it off, glops flying.

"Watch it!" Kanda hissed as a piece hit him in the face.

"That's a good look for you, BaKanda." Allen smirked as he walked past the tempermental samurai, the older teen 'che'ing in response. Alongside the path, feeding the stream, more brown goopy water flowed down crevices in the wall, making a squishy gurgling sound that was rather unappealing and Allen did his best to ignore it. In the path was a wall leading up that they each had to climb or leap up before it led to a large, round chamber. On one end were a pair of stone pillars with red swirls on them, an enormous brown waterfall of more cursed water further beyond it, and in the center was a green plant that curled at the top, occasionally a blue swirl of energy spiraling up it, and the plant twitched and jiggled one way or the other, sitting atop a mound of dirt with stones leading to it like a path.

"_What a strange place. Is this really the training ground Susanoo mentioned to you guys?_" Issun questioned even as Ammy and the group walked forward, making a bee-line for the green thing in the center, which reached as high as Allen's stomach.

"_Not sure…_" He said honestly, staring at the plant as the top of it jumped first one way then the other, idly reaching out a hand and poking it experimentally before it suddenly twitched again.

"_What's up with this tiny sapling?_" He asked no one in particular. "_Hm? I smell a faint scent like Sakuya's coming from this sapling!_" Lavi idly leaned closer and sniffed it.

"_Just smells like any old cherry blossom to me…_"

"_No way! I'd know Sakuya's scent anywhere!_" He had spent various occasions napping between her bosoms after all. "_Why would a Guardian Sapling be so tiny like this? I mean, that wall painting had a huge, magnificent tree in it! Maybe the monsters' evil is keeping its power at bay._"

"_Well…I could be wrong…but aren't saplings typically small?_" Lavi pointed out.

"_Idiot…didn't you see the tree out in that field?_" Kanda scoffed.

"_Well of course I did, Yuu, but that doesn't mean this one will be as big._" Lavi replied, the swordsman twitching as the stupid rabid once again used his given name. Ammy turned her head to the left, spying what seemed to be a path blocked by a bunch of logs and made her way over to it, using her Power Slash as she approached it. The suddenness and unexpected aspect of it made the others jump, Allen immediately on the alert, though his eye hadn't activated, and Lavi's hand automatically going to his hammer while Kanda partially unsheathed Mugen.

"Are we being attacked?"

"_Heh heh…false alarm. That was just Ammy here._" Issun assured, the Exorcists once again relaxing. Following along, since Ammy seemed to know more about where they were going, they travelled through a narrow, curving tunnel that had a group of large falls to their left outside, past the stalagmites that from the cave ceiling. The tunnel was very short and they soon came to a small cave, but the sight they came to was strange indeed, the Exorcists raising their guard at first.

In the small cave was a bear standing up on its hind legs, but it didn't seem to notice them. In fact, it seemed to be asleep, and what was stranger still was that it was standing on a large sphere that seemed to be made of glass or crystal. As it slept it leaned from one side, jerking back to its previous position, before leaning to the other side and doing so again.

"The Hell?" Kanda growled, having drawn his sword.

"Looks like a sleepy bear beat us to the crystal ball." Lavi noted, a smirk adorning his face.

"_So…how exactly are we going to get that thing? Somehow I don't think it'd be a good idea to wake it…_" Allen said.

"_Relax, it's just a sleepy bear. They're pretty much harmless, and besides, we have Ammy here._" Issun assured. "_Besides, it is close to winter…he's probably out like a light._"

"_I sure hope so…_" Allen sweatdropped.

"_Maybe if we go up and yell real loud he'll wake up and run off?_" Lavi suggested.

"It's worth a shot at least." Lenalee agreed.

"What's worth a shot?" Krory asked sheepishly, still completely in the dark. Lavi briefly relayed the message to him and he nodded. "It can't be any more dangerous than Akuma, right?"

"Che…let's just get this over with…" Kanda growled, striding forward, much to a few people's surprise, stopping just near the bear. He took a breath before yelling in a rather harsh tone, "WAKE THE FUCK UP."

Nothing.

"Wow…I think it could really sleep through anything…" Lavi chuckled as the bear continued to snore, a snot bubble in its nose expanding and contracting as it breathed in and out.

"Maybe if we try pushing it over?" Krory suggested.

"I don't think it'd be very happy when it hits the ground and wakes up though…" Lenalee noted.

"If we have some people on one side to catch it though, I don't think it'd be much of a problem.

"Che…so who's the unfortunate idiot that gets that job?" Kanda scoffed, rolling his eyes.

* * *

"I just _had_ to fucking ask!" Kanda growled, an extra vein bulging along his forehead.

"Aw, relax Yuu-chan, it could be worse." Lavi jibed.

"Worse than being stuck next to you? Like Hell there's anything worse." Kanda retorted as he and Lavi got ready to catch the large animal while Allen and Link got ready to push the sleepy bear towards them, and Ammy, Lenalee, and Krory waited in position to push the sphere out from under it when it finally fell.

"Alright, everyone ready?" Everyone saying that they were or nodding in the affirmative. Having said that, Allen and Link started to push the animal toward Lavi and Kanda, which rolled easily with the sphere, the red-head and the swordsman supporting it from falling to fast on the opposite side, much to Kanda's irritation. Without the help of Ammy, Lenalee, or Krory, the orb popped out from under it and bowled Allen and Link over.

Lavi's single green eye widened and with a yelp he leapt out of the way.

"What the- FUCKING- Baka usage!" Kanda snarled even as the full weight of the bear collapsed on top of him, pinning the swordsman to the ground. The bear only woke up momentarily, its snot bubble popping before it rubbed its face with one paw before falling back asleep.

"Whoops…sorry about that, Yuu-chan," Lavi sweatdropped, rubbing the back of his head.

"I swear, when I get back up, I'm going to gut you like a stuck pig! Get this stupid fucking thing off me Moyashi!" Kanda snarled, trying to drag himself out from under the big lump of fur, quite ungracefully.

"You wouldn't, would you Moyashi-chan? I really don't feel like being gutted today…" Lavi chuckled, while the albino teen smirked and shook his head.

"This is way too amusing. I think I'll just let BaKanda figure it out on his own." Allen said. "And it's _Allen_!" He turned and made his way over to the sphere, which had a solid center decorated with a red swirling marking similar to the one on Amaterasu's shoulder on it, with what appeared to be leaves spiraling around it inside the outer wall of the sphere, and seemed to sparkle with some unknown power.

"_This crystal sphere is filled with leaves. I think this sphere is used in a ritual for a good harvest or something…_" Issun said.

"_I think it's the sphere that was in that wall painting._" Lavi noted. "_The crystal ball, maybe?_"

"_Dunno…but I don't think it'll do us any good here…let's roll it out and see if we can figure out what to do with it._" He said, Amaterasu nudging it forward with her nose as she began to walk, into the tunnels, the others following, and leaving Kanda behind.

"Um…guys…what about Kanda?" Lenalee asked, gazing back over her shoulder.

"He'll catch up." Allen shrugged non-challantly. "Or not if we're really lucky."

They stopped as they reached the large chamber with the sapling again.

"_So, what do you think we're supposed to do with this thing, exactly?_" Issun inquired.

"Hmm…." Lavi hummed in thought, placing a hand to his chin.

"_In the mural, the picture showed the sun shining to the orb and reflected to a sapling, remember?_" Bookman recalled, more for everyone else than himself.

"_Hey, yeah…this orb must be to help the tree grow, right?_" Lavi realized.

"_But we need sunlight to do that…_" Allen noted, looking up at the gray sky that seemed just as depressed and dark as the air and ground around them.

"_Oh, that's an easy one, just let Ammy take care of it!_" The others blinked a couple times, but didn't question it. Bookman gazed around for a moment, up at the lifted path just behind the stone pillars with the red swirling markings on it.

"_Up there should be a good enough spot for the sun to hit it. At any rate, it's the only place high enough for it to have any chance of working._" He noted. The others nodded and Allen pushed it up the incline to the top, gazing down at where a small pool of water stood between the two pillars.

"_What do you suppose that is?_" He questioned, Amaterasu padding over and sniffing it curiously, but it was just water.

"_I dunno…weird place to have a puddle. Looks pretty chintzy for what's supposed to be a grand alter. I bet there used to be something on here._" He said, while Allen made his way over.

"_Grand alter?_" He questioned.

"_Yeah, this here's some kinda alter. Not sure what for though…_" Issun muttered. Allen hummed in thought and leaned his weight on the sphere before it slipped out from under him, making him yelp and fall on his side, the sphere clanking against the side of one of the pillars and almost knocking Amaterasu over, the white wolf leaping back with a yelp.

"_Hey, watch it!_" Issun yelped, the sphere stopping to rest on the puddle. The center sphere pulsed faintly a couple of times before the puddle suddenly shot up into a fountain, the sphere bouncing in place at the top.

"_Wow, someone had a lotta time on their hands to think all _this _up!_" Issun noted. "_So this WAS the sphere in that wall painting!_"

"_Looks like it…but we're still lacking a sun._" Lavi reminded.

"_BAKA USAGI!_" Lavi blinked and looked over at a slightly flustered looking Kanda holding Mugen pointed in his direction, his dark eyes narrowed into slits, promising a slow and painful death.

"Oh…welcome back, Yuu-chan…" Lavi greeted with a sheepish grin, backing up with his hands held up in a placating manner. "You're not still mad, are ya?"

"DIE!" Kanda snarled leaping forward. Lavi yelped and bolted away, Kanda giving chase while the others sweatdropped.

"_Um…is anyone going to stop them?_" Issun piped as he hopped atop Amaterasu's head, also sweatdropping.

"_No, we'll just let them figure it out._" Allen said, shaking his head.

"_If you say so. Anyway…_" He said, the group turning their attention back to the sphere, as if Lavi wasn't being chased by a PMSing samurai intent on tearing and slicing him limb from limb just behind them. "_I bet this sphere here is magic or something! So, let's get that sun out here, shall we, Ammy?_" He said, the wolf barking her agreement before turning around and making her way to the edge of the lifted path, the sky just visible above the brown waterfall.

Summoning her Celestial Canvas, she drew a sun in the sky and, like magic, the sun appeared above them, blossoming like a blooming flower. Once again everyone – save for Bookman – couldn't help but gawk as this happened. The rays of light shone down on them and the sphere.

Light seemed to gather in the sphere itself, building into an almost blinding light and focusing like a beam on the small plant in the center of the mound. The plant twitched as small threads of energy seemed to swirl around it before the plant started to expand, growing larger and changing from a bright lime green into a mahogany brown, its roots stretching out through the ground in thick boughs and forcibly pushing dirt aside around it. Branches stretched out from the sides of its trunk and the top point twisted into a thick, hard swirl. Around it, grass and small shrubs and ferns sprouted to life, washing away a small amount of the stinging cursed air that had been plaguing everyone's nose and eyes.

"_I see…that's why there's an alter here. It's for worshipping the sun that shines up there in the valley!_"

"_Not every day you see something like that…_" Lavi noted as Kanda momentarily paused in his pursuit to catch his breath, still glaring daggers at the red-head.

"_Guess this was really a Guardian Sapling, then…_" Allen guessed.

"_Yeah…but it's all withered like the others._" Issun noted. Suddenly the sky seemed to darken and everyone was on alert, Amaterasy looking around before up as a shimmering blue light shone down.

"_What the! Who turned out the lights? Oh…It's another constellation, Ammy!_" Issun said, the others following their gazes skyward where a small group of bright stars were visible.

"_Constellation?_"

Without answering(or Issun anyway), Amaterasu summoned her Celestial Canvas and drew in two of the stars that she could tell were missing, and like magic, they appeared once again, the others baffled as to exactly what was going on. Suddenly a shape was visible where the stars were gathered together – that kind of reminded Lavi of a chili pepper – and smaller stars seemed to shoot away from it and vanish into thin air as a white shape emerged, swirling around in a circle down from the sky towards them, the entire area around them vanishing and suddenly they were standing on air, the sky around them gold in color and white whiffs of cloud gently breezing by them. Poking out of the clouds were the tops of mountains reminiscent to those in some mountainous areas of China, rounded rocky hills.

The group of Exorcists were on the alert incase this was some sort of attack, but as the swirling thing stopped, striking a pose on one foot and stretching out, holding a large golden pipe instrument that Bookman recognized as a Shou. The figure was a monkey, most likely a chimp or baboon, it seemed, with the same odd swirling feather-like appendages on its shoulders and feet, and red markings on its face, arms and back. The monkey and Amaterasu's eyes met and it jolted slightly before sitting down, Amaterasu sitting down as well, both gazing at each other. Everyone else was just confused and curious, save for Link who seemed to have vanished.

_"Ah…Amaterasu. Origin of all that is good and mother to us all…My gratitude for releasing my body from its slumber. Please accept my humble thanks in return for your kindness. I am Sakigami, one of the triumvirate of flora gods known as the Hanagami. My brethren and I have been entrusted with the brush techniques know collectively as Greensprout. I now grant my humble power to you. Use it wisely."_ The monkey spoke, ignoring the presence of the Exorcists as it glowed and shrunk into an orb of light, black kanji lettering floating inside before it circled around Amaterasu and vanished inside her chest with a flash.

"Am I the only one who's terribly confused?" Allen asked to no one in particular, shaking his head, Lenalee and Krory shaking their heads. The sky around them glowed bright white, blinding them before it became dark again.

Allen yawned as he felt solid ground beneath him and stretched his arms over his head, blinking his eyes open and trying to recall exactly when he had fallen asleep, hearing the others stirring as well.

"_Man…I had the strangest dream…something about Amaterasu and a monkey_?" He murmured as he stood up, blinking at the others.

"_Wait…you saw that?_" Issun piped, Allen looking over at him in question.

"_I saw it too._" Lavi said.

"_So did I…_" Lenalee added, doing nothing to cure his confusion.

"_That was Sakigami, one of the gods of flora!_" Issun piped.

"_ 'Gods of flora'?_" Allen repeated before shaking his head. "_I am so confused…_"

"_You've heard the Legend of Orochi, haven't ya?_" Issun asked, customarily hopping atop Ammy's head. The group nodded. "_See…when Ammy here fought all that time ago and died, her powers, that is, the Celestial Brush, got split into twelve gods where each one had a different one of her powers and became constellations all across Nippon! You've already seen two of Ammy's powers. The one that belongs to Ammy here, which makes it so she has thirteen in total, is Sunrise. There's also Power Slash and Rejuvination, and now, we have Sakigami's power back!_" He explained. "_Apparently, his is Bloom, and the Bloom brush technique can make flowers blossom simply by drawing a circle on a withered tree._"

"_Drawing a circle on it?_"

"_Well…not just any circle. It has to be done with a Celestial Brush! Like Ammy's tail or my mad art skills…but you probably can't see the Celestial Canvas so it won't make any sense to you._" He said.

"_So what exactly is this…Celestial Canvas thing…and Celestial Brush? If you could describe it, I mean…_" Lavi inquired curiously.

"_Hmm…its kind of like…everything around you looks like art on paper, like a drawing…and you get to draw on the world, but it makes stuff happen._" He said. Lavi nodded in understanding, tucking this knowledge away into the recesses of his mind.

"_Interesting._"

"_Hey!_" Issun quipped, getting an idea. "_Maybe Bloom will make the withered Guardian Sapling blossom, too!_" Issun quipped.

"_You think that'll work?_" Lenalee questioned, looking up at the tree in contemplation.

"_Something like that should be a cinch for Ammy here! Being a god and all…so Ammy, let's see that brushwork in action!_" The sprite quipped. In full agreement, Amaterasu once again summoned her Celestial Canvas and drew a huge circle around the tree before dropping it so her power could take effect. Glowing faintly at first, a faint pink breeze swirled up around the tree and cherry blossom petals sprouted along the branches, starting as a small few petals before becoming a huge canopy of soft pink petals, raining down around them like a heavy but gentle snowfall, everyone's eyes, even Kanda's (except for Bookman's) eyes widening as they gazed around. No one had any time to even say 'Wow' before the petals were sucked in towards the tree to surround the bark, turning the entire thing pink, before they blasted outward with an accompanying wind and a green ring of energy that steady grew wider as it moved further out, with the tree as the center point, the withered grasses and plants blooming to full, healthy life in vibrant greens and golds, water pouring out of a square opening beneath the alter fountain and creating a ring of shallow water around the trees roots with the stepping stones just above it.

The brown waterfall cleared like magic right before their eyes and crystal clear water surged down the rocks like a torrent before settling into a steady stream, and following the green ring, countless different types of tall flowers bloomed around their feet before fading as more grew with the green ring and then those too faded.

"How amazing…" Krory breathed, probably having the widest eyes of all, considering he'd missed out on most of the discussion, owing to the language barrier.

Allen couldn't help but gawk with his mouth hanging open, turning a circle as he gazed around. The rock walls were now covered in thick, healthy moss, the plants were lush and vibrant. He was starting to wonder if he was dreaming, barely registering the fact that the 14th was smirking in amusement at his reaction.

**'Quite the show, eh, boy?** He broke into Allen's thoughts.

_'I'll say…'_ Allen replied silently without really thinking about it, the 14th chuckling in the recesses of his head.

**'You have yet to see anything truly spectacular. Just wait until you see her full abilities.'** Allen couldn't help but scowl at that, his eyebrows knitting together in confusion.

_'Wait…how do you know anything about that?'_ He couldn't help but question. Exactly how much did the 14th know that he didn't?

**'Just a hunch, considering what I've seen so far.'** His inner demon replied, Allen getting the impression that the traitor Noah was shrugging his shoulders, and wondering if that was entirely true.

"Something wrong, Walker?" Link broke his train of thought and he whirled his head to look at Link just a little too quickly, suspicion held within the blond's serious eyes.

"Uh…no…I was just marveling at what just happened…" He lied. Not exactly his greatest strong suite, having realized that he'd spaced out and missed out on what was being said.

"_…not sure how weak the Gods have become recently…but it must've taken some wickedly strong power to suppress this magnificent Guardian Sapling._" Issun was saying. "_Even if you are Shiranui reborn…we might be up against more than we bargained for!_" Issun piped. "_Hey, Ammy! What about the withered Guardian Sapling outside Hana Valley? I bet you could revive it like you did this one! And by bringing that Guardian Sapling back to life, we might be able to lift the curse there too!_"

"_Sounds like as good a plan as any, to me._" Lavi agreed, while Lenalee nodded.

"_Then what are we waiting for? Leap before you think, right!_" He quipped, the others sweatdropping.

"_Actually that last part sounds like a bad idea…_" Lavi mused, even as Amaterasu whirled around and trotted back towards the entrance, the others following along. They headed back down the tunnel of the cave towards the chamber where they'd spent the night prior to that, with Amaterasu in the lead. As they reached it though, a pair of green imps were waiting and screeched in fury as they saw the group.

"This again…" Allen sighed, running a hand down his face.

"Che…let's just get this over with." Kanda growled, drawing Mugen.

"_Heh heh…you guys just sit back and watch! Ammy here'll take care of them, no sweat!_" Issun quipped smugly. Amaterasu leapt forward and swiped a paw over her nose as if just itching to go, lowering into a fighting stance. A she neared, a yellow Imp once again burst out of the ground with a screech and landed sitting on its drum before it spun around and disappeared beneath the ground.

"_Let's take care of these weaker ones first, Ammy._" Issun advised. One of the closer ones hopped back and forth, screeching wildly before it stopped and whipped out its golden flute, taking a deep breath and blowing a shrill tune to send a demonic shockwave of sound. She easily leapt over it and, spinning through the air, she slashed at the other green Imp with Divine Retribution, the disc lashing forward all the way around her body and hitting both lesser demons, who shrieked in pain, and leapt back, both sustaining injury. The other one came towards her now, leaping forward and slashing at her with its claws, missing her side by inches. Behind it, the ground rumbled as the Yellow imp popped up, halfway out of the dirt and looked around a few times.

Drumming a steady beat, it raised its muscular, hairy arms over its head to pound the drum hard and Amaterasu leapt in the air just as it did, avoiding the shockwave from hurting her and once again leaping to the side away from a flute shockwave as a green imp simultaneously attacked.

Rushing forward, she slammed Divine Retribution into it with great force and knocked the demon into the air, the green coloration draining from it. Summoning her Celestial Canvas, Amaterasu finished it with Power Slash and gathered the bluish looking fang that it dropped. At that same moment, the yellow imp once again began to come up from underground and she leapt behind it just before its head popped up, the demon looking around in bafflement.

Taking advantage of its confusion, she ran up behind it and struck out with Divine Retribution several times, knocking it out of the ground and onto solid ground to land on its face.

Getting up with a moan, it shook itself off before leaping to its feet and prowling around, resembling more of a gorilla than a monkey. Amaterasu hold her ground but in the blink of an eye, it disappeared down one of its tunnels again.

"_Ammy, finish off the other green imp, before it appears again!_" Wasting not a second, she rushed towards it. Snarling, the demon swung its golden flute at her with one hand, but she caught it in her jaws and yanked it away, swinging back so that it jammed into the Imp's side and earning a pained shriek. Leaping back and whirling Divine Retribution over her head, she hit the side of the flute with it and forced it to pierce deep into the demons side, black blood spurting out the end of the flute that was sticking out and making the creature fall to its back and writhe in agony until Amaterasu brought down her reflector onto its skull and crushed it, ending the demon's life. Just in time for the yellow Imp to make another appearance.

"_Hey Ammy, I got an idea, try blinding it with ink! I bet you that'll throw it off!_" Summoning her Celestial Canvas again, rather than calling on her techniques, the drew black ink all over the half-submerged Imp. The creature yelped and pulled itself out of the ground, trying to rub the ink off it and out of its eyes even as it struck out blindly, trying to hit Amaterasu, except that she had leapt behind it at this point, lashing out with Divine Retribution and slamming it hard into the demons back with crushing force several times, knocking it forward onto its face. It managed to wipe off some of the ink and whirled around, snarling even as Amaterasu rushed headlong into it and lashed out, knocking it into a wall and then once again finishing with Power Slash, getting another blue fang that it dropped.

"Wow…" Allen breathed. She was…brutal but man was she strong.

"_Haha! That's showin' 'em, Furball!_" Issun cheered. A circular breeze once again stirred across the rocky area where they had spent the previous night and grass and flowers bloomed across it now, a wild boar and a pair of piglets appearing there out of nowhere.

"Okay…where exactly did those come from?" Lavi couldn't help but question…because it was illogical. Pigs didn't just _appear_ out of nowhere like that.

"Those demons that were here held an evil influence that destroys the natural and good things of an area such as this. Once the demons were destroyed, combined with the power of the refurbished Guardian Sapling, the nature here was restored." Bookman explained simply, seeming just as calm and collected as always.

"I…kind of get it…" Lavi said, shaking his head. Amaterasu was already heading back down the path, the group quickly hopping to following her and stopping at the strange tree that had thrown some exploding _thing_ at them, standing guard over the path.

"_That creepy old tree just won't give up. I've got an idea, Ammy! Maybe you could hit it's fruit right back at it! And while it's stunned, you could use Bloom to rid it of evil._" He suggested, Lavi tilting his head in question.

The tree seemed to notice them – despite that it lacked eyes – and began to whirl that pink what's-it around before flinging it towards them before a quick Power Slash sent it flying right back and exploded on the tree. The thing gave a lurch before slumping over in a daze, swaying back and forth, and with another quick use of her Celestial Brush, the tree bloomed in a similar manner to the Guardian Sapling into a healthy fruit tree, a few fruits falling from the branches onto the ground, as well as some more Praise, unseen to everyone else's eyes, floating off and to Amaterasu.

"She really is amazing…" Lenalee noted as they followed her and Issun down the path. After that they came to a path of dried grass that had a dark aura hovering around it, sending a chill down Allen's spine, what appeared to be the skull of some sort of cow partially covered by stalks of dead grass.

"_Whoa, Ammy, hold on! Hana Valley looks so much better now, but…what about this gloomy patch of grass? You can use the power of Bloom to fill it in. Just fill it with your brush, and Bloom will take care of it! Besides, it's depressing to see this thing…_" In full agreement, she summoned up her Celestial Canvas again, a green, inky mist flowing off the tip of her brush as it hovered over the ground and she colored black ink over the entire patch, the grasses and plants there blooming into vibrant flowers.

"_That's better! Hm…?_" The sprite hopped off her head to stop on top of a scroll that was lying amongst the flowers, tied off with a red cord, kanji written on it that read _'Greensprout Tips'_.

"_There was a scroll here, too, eh? Ammy, this looks like a travel guide! It's an ancient record of a pilgrimage across the land. If this were the real thing, it'd normally be worth a fortune, but with all the copies out there, you probably won't get much for it. At any rate, if you ever wanna read it, just open it up and take a look. It may sound preachy, but it should at least help you in your travels._" He said.

"_Could I see that scroll?_" Bookman interjected, Amaterasu turning her head towards him.

"_Sure thing._"

"_Thank you. Records are my specialty so I'll take good care of it._" Bookman assured.

"_Eh…like I said, there's TONS of copies out there… even if you don't its not like we'll be losing anything._" Issun shrugged off. "_Now…I see another cursed tree over there, let's go take care of it, Ammy!_" Issun cheered, Amaterasu giving a yip of agreement and running towards it.

* * *

After taking care of the trees in that area, quite a few of them cursed trees, defeating the imps near the entrance a second time and reviving the little natural island near it, a strange red bead that they had no idea what to do with but it looked pretty, and getting some odd stone item that seemed like a chunk of Amaterasu's reflector – that just happened to magically appear in front of them in an old treasure chest, while Kanda complained that _that_ wasn't suspicious at all – they headed back out of Hana Valley, with Issun constantly running his mouth.

"_Ok, another brush technique in the bag! Now Ammy…before you get all excited and forget what you're supposed to do, I have an important tip for you. Okay then, if you ever forget what we've already done or what to do next, I've got this neat little Log Book I've been keeping notes in including a little Journal I've whipped up, including the important things we've learned from talking to people down to every little syllable! Now, first stop, the Guardian Sapling!_" He piped, despite the fact that they were already walking in that direction, avoiding the green demon scrolls that floated over the path every so often. The path that led directly to the Guardian Sapling also stood right next to the cursed zone and the group involuntarily shuddered at the dark aura that it gave off even being near it, trying without much luck to ignore it.

Amaterasu stopped just beneath the red shrine gate that stood just before the tree and gazed up at it, sorrow in her golden eyes. Allen hadn't known exactly what that sorrow meant back when he had first seen her in China, but now he had more of an idea and couldn't help but feel a little sorry for her. These lands that she was supposed to be the goddess of and protecting were in so much turmoil…locked in the dark grip of whatever curse had befallen this land. It must have hurt her terribly inside to see that the lands were in such condition and not have been able to do anything until this point.

"_Heh heh…prepare yourselves now…you're about to see the true power of a God at work!_" Issun quipped, even as Amaterasu summoned her Celestial Canvas once more and did the same to this tree as the last.

Cherry blossoms burst to life along the branches and just as before, many of them rained down around them before being sucked towards the trunk and then rushing outwards, blowing everyone's hair back and a green ring and a multitude of colorful flowers rushing outwards, making the grass and plants burst to life in shades of vibrant color like in Hana Valley, but on a much wider scale. The gloomy gray that had covered the land and made it into something more like stone lifted as grass burst to life all across it, and the black and red that shifted over the land seemed to hiss, tendrils like fire flickering up into the air as if trying to escape the green wave that surged forward to eradicate the evil before vanishing into thin air as it coiled around itself like hundreds of dying black snakes. The wind swirled around like small twisters across the water and formed tall, green trees and animals appeared from the wave of flowers that appeared and faded, flicking their ears and looking around in confusion before going about routine grazing and scouring around.

The green wave swept up the cliffy hills and freed a single hut from the curse's influence, and where the river flowed, the newly cleared water almost seemed to leap out of its own lake, almost as if in joy that it was freed from the grip of evil, before falling back into the calm waters of the lake, and spread out further than the eye could see to the distant snowy mountains far to the north of there, flower petals and lush leaves raining down in a wondrously colorful blend, and the fresh air and scent of cherry blossoms washed around the group, smelling even better owing to the horrible smell in Hana Valley that they'd been subjected to for a full night and almost two straight days.

Even better than that, it seemed to put each member of the group – even the eternally pissy Kanda – into a more peaceful state than any of them had felt in at least a few months, as if the Guardian Sapling had lifted every little sliver of darkness – be it sadness, anger, or anything else – from their hearts. At least for now.

"_Wow! That nasty cursed zone is completely gone! The plants and animals are back! And just feel that fresh breeze! Now that's what I call Great Divine Intervention! If you keep on dispelling the evil curse like this, I bet the gods of nature will lend you their powers!_" Issun quipped. Amaterasu gazed up at the Guardian Tree before turning around and gazing skyward, the group following her gaze to a solitary and withered tree in the distance, that they recognized immediately as Konohana. A bright green glow suddenly enveloped it and the tree sprouted further into the sky, so that it was fully visible even from the far side of the field, and huge bushes of green leaves sprouted all along its branches, looking much healthier than it had previously.

"_Hey, that's…that's Sakuya's tree, isn't it? Maybe she perked up 'cause you revived a Guardian Sapling? Well, we can stop by and see her later. I mean, we're kinda on a roll here. How about we take a look around Shinshu Field first? You've been gone for a hundred years, right, Ammy? A good run around the place will do you good!_" Issun piped before Amaterasu looked over at Allen. "_What about you guys?_"

"_Well…we don't really have any other missions to take care of here…and seeing as Amaterasu's got the Divine Instrument, I guess we stick with you._"

"_Sounds fine to me! The more the merrier right? Besides, I wouldn't mind spending some time with that pretty little thing over there, heh heh…_" Issun said suggestively, making Lenalee blink a few times, her and everyone else sweatdropping.

"_So then,_" Lavi interjected. "_On to exploring Shinshu Field!_"

* * *

**Authors Note(2):** Okay, so Jin and Jarrolin are going to show up quite a few times throughout the chapters, but I think the speech was the hardest part to do, both the pirate-y speech and, unfortunately, I don't know enough Japanese to include the full discussion in there, just introductions and greetings DX Just so you know, the dock was in Hokkaido(Japan's northernmost island) but in-game you'll know it better as Kamui ;P Also! If you can guess the ship they're on, I'll give you all cookies xD

Also, I tried to include all the characters in there(I forgot Timcanpy! *shot*) so I hope I did a good job of that and keeping everyone in character…and I have a lot of stuff planned for this story so stay tuned lol (some chapters might end up so long you'll be stabbing your eyes out by the end of them haha).

Now, please **REVIEW!**

~PsyKou( XD )

Next Chapter: Shinshu Field


	11. Shinshu Field

**Authors Note:** Oh…MY…GAWD. This update took WAAAY longer than it was supposed to(granted it's better than some of my other stories…). I apologize for the 5 some odd month wait but I did break out a long chapter so hopefully that makes up for it? For the moment there's not much action going on but I promise you, there will be! In the next chapter a little bit, even…but anyway, not much to say except that I hope you enjoy the update!

**Disclaimer:** No, I refuse… *crosses arms* I've already done it ten ti- *wacked with a newspaper* OW! Okay, okay! I do not own Ookami or D Gray-Man…they belong to their respective owners, Capcom, and Katsura Hoshino. Happy? *grumbles*

* * *

**Of Divine Instruments and Innocence  
****A D Gray-Man and Ookami Crossover Fanfiction  
****By: Kougetsu_KitsuneHinote_Hakuma**

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**Chapter 11:** Shinshu Field

"_So, where should we go first?_" Lavi questioned as the group followed behind Amaterasu from beneath the shrine arch back to the main path.

"_Well there's all kind of stuff around Shinshu Field…the most important thing we should go see is the legendary Moon Cave! But there really is all kind of stuff to do._" Issun piped. "_We'll just make our way around the field back to Kamiki so we make sure we see everything._" He announced as Amaterasu trotted towards a path of cursed grass. "_And make sure to take care of everything along the way, like this patch of gloomy grass!_" Issun added as the wolfess flicked her tail, the grass blooming into a more healthy shade and several boar piglets seeming to appear with them. Tilting her head down to a white pouch hanging off a cord around her neck, Amaterasu pulled out another pouch and dropped it on the ground, seed spilling out and the piglets all but rushing to lap them up even as she turned away to continue with her business.

Allen tilted his head in question even as he followed but didn't ask, the group heading back in the direction of Hana Valley. Amaterasu dug up and Bloomed a clover off the main path as well as dug up an odd wooden bear statue that fit into the small white pouch hanging from her throat that, really, shouldn't have been able to hold something that big.

_Seems like the more we see the more it doesn't make sense_, Allen mused internally as they walked over a bridge that crossed the river leading from Hana Valley.

Amaterasu stopped as they came to an odd gate just off the main path, the wolf skidding to a stop as a dark and powerful aura seemed to radiate off of it in waves, Allen suddenly feeling a wave of dizziness. Green espers like those around the demon scrolls they'd passed circled it and a low, hissing murmur seemed to ring outward from the passageway between the small gate.

"_Whoa! What's up with this old gate? I don't like the looks of it…_" Issun piped suspiciously while Amaterasu's body tensed as if in agreement, eyeing it through golden eyes warily. "_It's just teeming with evil power. I can feel it! Still, you being a god and all, we can't just ignore it. Whaddya think, my furry friend? We going through it or what?_"

"_You actually want to go _through_ that thing?_" Lavi questioned, getting bad vibes from it, and his intuition was almost if not never wrong. Amaterasu sniffed and stepped towards it, her hackles lifting along the back of her neck.

"_Maybe we should stay away from that thing._" Lavi suggested before Kanda brushed past him.

"Che. Coward. Let's just get this the Hell over with." He growled, his hand twitching over to Mugen. They were going to have to fight anyways, might as well just do it. As the group stepped through hit, a shrill tune rent through the air from a flute and a red light seemed to surround them as a circular demon arena popped up around them. Dropping into a crouched position, Amaterasu growled and prepared for them to appear, Divine Retribution flickering excitedly.

A black mist swirled up from the ground and three demons appeared, one a green Imp and two red. Without wasting a second, Amaterasu lunged forward and lashed out with her reflector, knocking the weakling green Imp away and the red Imp lifting its lute to shield it against attack, but it was quickly destroyed by Power Slash and left it wide open as Kanda rushed forward, cutting it down in one easy and well-placed slice.

Allen went for the other red Imp and imbedded his claw into it, the demon shrieking and trying to claw at him before he commanded, "Cross Grave." Cross-shaped light glowed on the two demons and a third as another red Imp appeared in black mist and caused the demon's to explode, black blood spraying outward before they disappeared and became bloomed flowers.

"_Nice moves, kid!_" Issun quipped as Amaterasu landed next to him, another green and red Imp appearing.

"Damn, how many more of these are there going to be?" The albino teen sighed. Not that they were all that difficult nor was it much different from fighting waves of Akuma, but at least then he could see how many there were. And they didn't just _appear_ from nothing.

"Your pathetic, Moyashi!" Kanda snarled even as he lunged forward, swinging his blade in an arc in front of him. "Netherworld creatures, first illusion!"

Several hellish looking insects appeared from his blade and shot forward, piercing through the Imps with ease and bringing an end to them.

"I don't see you doing much better, BaKanda." Allen retorted with a glare in the Japanese male's direction. Amaterasu growled and looked around but the demon arena lifted away with a loud whistling hiss, the goddess in wolf form relaxing and straightening up. Flowers bloomed from somewhere behind the gate's previous location and spread out with a refreshing breeze and a pair of wood burning huts appeared, as well as several trees and a cluster of rabbits that glanced around and went to grazing.

"_So that's it. Those things are gateways to monster lairs!_" Issun piped as he once again resumed bouncing atop Amaterasu's head. "_I've heard of such gates before. They're called Devil Gates. Those monsters got a lot of nerve building things like that! Let's tear 'em down wherever we find 'em!_" He piped, the others nodding their agreement. _"Anyways, let's see if we can find anything useful now that that nasty ol' Devil Gate is gone. You never know where something cool might be buried or laying around unused!"_ The sprite piped, Amaterasu trotting around a large pile of cut-down trees and heading up around the bottom edge of some cliffs, sniffing the ground and keeping alert for anything either good or bad. Finding a gold handle similar to that of a buried chest earlier, she quickly dug some of the dirt aside to reveal another one, using a small power slash to break the lock on it and push the lid open with her nose, where a fiery colored bead sat.

"_Another one of those beads…"_ Allen noted, tilting his head. _"Are those valuable or something?"_ Despite that he knew it was somewhat childish and made him think of all those stories he heard about pirates burying valuable treasure so no one would find it.

"_Maybe…not really sure. But likelihood is, if it hasn't been heard of, it's not very valuable. Anyway, they make for a nice collection if nothing else. Why don't we see if we can't find some more laying around? Maybe they'll still be worth something as a set or something, like when we go to the big city."_ Issun figured, Amaterasu nodding and dropping it into the white pouch hanging around her neck, which swallowed it up of it's own accord. Which Allen still found really strange.

"_The big city?"_ Lavi questioned curiously.

"_Yeah, y'know, the capital of Nippon. It's the biggest city in Nippon you'll ever go to! Not to mention, that's where all the big-wigs live, though I haven't really been in _ages_, so it could've changed a bit…maybe even gotten bigger!"_ Issun gushed, hopping on top of Amaterasu's head incessantly as they walked back towards the main path heading towards the top of Shinshu field, before deciding to settle down and just sit atop her head. As they walked they came across someone in blue laying on the ground and looking almost like they were doing push-ups or something, except that they couldn't get up.

"_Well that's strange…what do you think that's all about?"_ Lavi questioned while Amaterasu tilted her head and made a bee-line for them, Lavi's question going unanswered.

"_Ow, ow, ow! What's goin' on! Ida of the Dangan Express never trips up! I've fallen and I can't get up! Must be a curse…"_ The young man spoke to himself, not seeming to notice he had company at first as the group walked up. Allen for his part averted his gaze after a moment when he realized the guy was barely wearing pants…more like some red diaper cloth or something is what it looked like. Be it traditional and fine-and-dandy here but it still seemed really awkward to him and he didn't need full view of someone else's almost-bare bottom.

"_I don't have time for falling over! People are waitin' for mail. Those monsters must have set some kind of trap for me as a joke. Darn it! I knew I should have bought a Traveler's Charm!" _He rambled on to himself.

"_Hey, I think we have a Traveler's Charm, don't we Ammy? I know we found one somewhere along our path…"_ Issun murmured against Amaterasu's ear. The wolfess let out something of a whine and sat down, effectively drawing the man's attention even as she stuck her nose into her Astral Pouch that hung around her neck.

"_Hey! You guys there, you wouldn't happen to have a Traveler's Charm, would you?"_ The guy named Ida questioned.

"_I don't even know what that-"_ Allen began before Amaterasu pulled one out between her teeth, Issun interrupting him.

"_As a matter of fact we do!"_ Issun quipped, Amaterasu trotting to where she was in front of him and dropping it onto his free hand, since the other was holding a long wood pole with a carry-box tied to the end. Immediately the man named Ida leapt up to his feet.

"_Oh! Yes! I feel so light! My body feels light as a feather!"_ He exclaimed happily in rapid fire pace, his words hard to hear owing to how fast he spoke them, jogging in place enthusiastically. _"Thanks, pooch! You saved me. Can't hang about. Gotta catch up on my deliveries!"_ He said before racing off at break neck speed.

"Oh wow…that guy certainly is fast…" Allen blinked, running a hand through his hair.

"I'll say." Lenalee agreed. After having done that the group headed up towards the top of the field, nothing really to speak of as they walked but a few stray rabbits or some hawks flying around, some of them idly passing the time by pointing out the names of certain things to Krory and common words or phrases, since it would probably be a help to them all if he at least learned a little bit of the spoken language. Especially since they would probably be there a while, and he'd eventually pick up on it anyway, most likely. They were just speeding up the process a little bit.

"_Hey guys, come check this out!"_ Issun piped from where Amaterasu had been several feet ahead, the group curiously moving forward to stand beside her, some more awed then others. At the bottom of the abrupt cliff a good ways out, there was a narrow path of land travelling out towards the center of the lake, and standing over part of that path was a huge gray shrine gate, held up by six instead of two wood support legs and almost three stories tall, with a rope and paper chains hanging from the top of it, though there didn't appear to be anything behind it. It seemed somewhat odd to Allen, since he was at least a little aware that they were typically a sort of marker for something sacred, but there didn't seem to be anything there besides the lake itself.

"_What is that?"_ Allen questioned. _"I mean, specifically, what's it there for?"_

"_We-ll…it's supposed to be the entrance to the Moon Cave…but it seems like it's almost disappeared or something…of course it could be that we're just so far away we can't see it or something."_ Issun shrugged. _"Anyway, we'll be heading there soon enough. First we gotta head down this hill here and see if we can't find anything interesting. Then we'll head off in that direction."_

Heading towards the bridge that took them down the hill, Allen paused at a sign shaped like that of an arrow.

"_What does this say?"_ He questioned curiously. Amaterasu paused and circled back, Issun gazing at the kanji written on it.

"'_To Pyrotechnist's House'."_ He said. _"I guess someone lives down there. Anyway, let's get a move on! There's still lots to see!"_

Heading down the wood bridge, they came to a small sort of island of land connected to the cliffs rising further above it. As they reached the bottom a withered cherry tree burst to life with Bloom even before they reached the tree itself.

"Okay now, I think that's just showing off," Lavi tossed in a chipper voice.

"I don't think that's quite it," Allen said, gazing at Amaterasu. He partially understood how she must have felt, wanting to save this land from the evil that enslaved it. Thinking on it, it was somewhat similar to the teen's own idealism for saving the souls of Akuma that were imprisoned against their will, and forced to become weapons whose sole purpose was murder. Perhaps not exactly the same concept but close enough that he sympathized with her.

Just ahead down the path, at the edge of the water was a hut with an odd circular roof, a platform beside it on the roof. The group headed towards it but before they could reach it, Amaterasu skidded to a halt and lowered into a fighting stance, her hackles rising and a growl escaping her throat at the same instant that a black smoke swirled up from the ground and a large orange-and-white koi fish looking creature, dressed in a dingy white kimono, swirled up from the ground. It's eyes were a milky white, and the fins on its back had become more like wings that allowed it the ability of flight.

It danced through the air, actually detaching its wings a moment and waving them around almost like fans, a blackish mist surrounding it as it did and let out a screech.

"_Whoa, that's not just an every run of the mill Imp or anything…be careful, Ammy. This one is a little more powerful."_ Issun cautioned as he leapt up and down on Amaterasu's head. The she-wolf let out a snarl as Divine Retribution flickered excitedly, ready for battle, the flames dancing more lively around her.

As the Dead Fish took to the air, two smaller green Imps appeared as well. Amaterasu circled as one Imp hung back and the other hopped around her with a snarl of its own before suddenly lunging forward with claws bared. The she-wolf leapt up to avoid it but it's claws raked down her side. Instead of damaging her though, a red circlet of characters appeared briefly before bursting apart, the Imp stopping and tilting its head in question.

"_Haha! Like that? That's the power of a special seal!"_ Issun quipped. _"C'mon Ammy! Hurry up and finish this up!"_ Wasting no more time, the she-wolf rushed forward and swung her weapon out, catching the surprised Imp off guard, striking it several times before using her Celestial Brush to put a dot on the ground as green mist came off it, a tree springing to life right beneath the Imp, it's divine power doing the work of killing it before the tree disappeared into several specks of light.

At the same moment the Dead Fish lunged down to crash into Amaterasu but Allen was quicker, having activated his Innocence by this point, white tendrils wrapping around it and yanking it off course to crash into a large rock instead as he exclaimed, "Clown Belt!"

Amaterasu was about to turn her attention back to the other green Imp as it moved to lunge towards her but Lenalee was the one to intervene this time, using her Dark Boots to crush it into the ground.

"_Wow, you guys really aren't half bad,"_ Issun noted, whistling slightly. _"Now, let's finish off that Dead Fish, Ammy! Can't let these guys show us up after all!"_

As if in agreement, Amaterasu snarled and then lunged towards the Dead Fish as it shook itself off, striking out with her reflector several times and knocking it back before it spun away on one fin, fixing its sights on Amaterasu and lunged forward.

"_Whoa now…just hold on there!"_ Issun piped as Amaterasu yelped and darted away, only to be all but tackled by the huge fish, its fins wrapping around her body and its huge weight trying to crush her, not to mention the acrid stench of the decaying demon. _"Ack! Get off, fish-breath!"_ Issun snarled as Amaterasu tried to shake it off, the fish pulsing red.

"That isn't good!" Lavi warned, quickly piecing together what was about to happen. "_That thing's gonna explode! Shake it off!"_ He said as Allen rushed forward, clasping his left wrist and drawing out his Sword of Exorcism.

"_Whaddya think we're doing?" _Issun demanded before panicking as Allen lunged towards them with his sword poised to strike. _"H-hey, don't go swinging that sword at us!"_

Ignoring this, Allen struck down and cleaved right through the demon before it could explode, the blade travelling harmlessly through Amaterasu like a phantom, the two halves of the demon falling to the dirt and bursting into flowers.

"That was way too close…" Allen breathed a sigh.

"_Y-you! What's the big idea? You could've killed us or something!"_ Issun harped, his aura having turned red as he hopped around on top of Amaterasu's head.

"_My sword only cuts evil things, like that demon…so there's no way it could ever harm either of you if I had wanted it to."_ Allen explained. Maybe it wasn't so nice not telling them that before, but there hadn't exactly been time to explain. It seemed to help clear Amaterasu's confusion though and calm Issun's fury.

"_Well that's a nifty trick…but try telling us that next time!"_ Issun fumed.

"_There really wasn't time to explain…" _Allen said, heaving a sigh as he returned Sword of Exorcism to an arm and deactivated his Innocence since it seemed the danger had passed. Heading to the house not far off, they noticed it was boarded up, stopping in front of a sign that read, in Kanji, _'Super Pyrotechnist's House'_.

"_Smell that, Ammy? That odor can only be from…gunpowder! Hey, maybe it's for fireworks! This is kinda exciting!" _Issun quipped.

"_Well the sign does say that a pyrotechnist lives here."_ Lavi pointed out before gazing at the blocked door. _"Though not sure anyone's home…but I do see a note."_ He said, the group walking forward to where the door was barricaded.

"'_Sleeping like a log. Come back at night.'"_ Issun read, the group sweat-dropping. _"Well…you read the message. Guess we'll just have to come back tonight or something…"_

"_Not really sure why we need to…"_ Allen muttered, his words going ignored as Amaterasu turned and started trotting back up towards the main path.

"_Well, anyway, our next stop is the Moon Cave!"_ Issun piped. _"Or at least where it's supposed to be…"_

Following Amaterasu back up, they crossed a wood bridge between two cliffs far above the river feeding into the lake and past two signs, though these mostly went ignored. Reaching a smaller red shrine leading down to the lake, there was a tall stone with kanji carved into it.

"_It says this is Lake Harami."_ Issun quipped as they stopped in front of it. _"You know, from the legend of Nagi? But it's kinda lost its luster…probably 'cause the great Nagi's descendant is Susanoo…"_

"_I don't really think that someone's descendant makes them any less of a legend, does it?"_ Lenalee said, tilting her head.

"_Che…I'd be ashamed if my descendant was as pathetic as that idiot."_ Kanda tossed out there flippantly.

"_As if you'd ever have kids, BaKanda."_ Allen threw back even as he walked past the samurai calmly, the only response to his words an irritable growl and another 'che'. But he didn't argue it, Allen noticed.

Walking beneath the red gate and to the lake where a narrow path stretched out across it, they noticed a house just in front of the larger gray gate and off to the side of the path, suspended above the water by several feet on wood legs, large bells with ropes hanging down from them on either side of the doorway, round paper lamps hanging from the overhang of the portico and a flight of steps leading up to the door.

"_That's a strange place to have a house,"_ Allen noted.

"_Actually that's a shrine house, I believe, _Moyashi-chan._"_ Lavi corrected.

"It's _Allen_, _A-l-l-e-n._" The white-haired teen growled, shooting the redhead a glare. "How many times do I have to tell you that?"

"One more time, as always." Lavi returned cheekily, wearing a lopsided grin as he folded his hands behind his head, leaning back with his weight on one leg.

"One of these days someone really is going to hurt you…and it might not be BaKanda." Allen threatened, the redhead merely holding his hands up in a placating manner.

"_Well, at any rate, the priest here will probably know something about whatever happened to the Moon Cave. Why don't we go and have a chat with him?"_ Issun suggested.

"_That would probably be a good idea."_ Bookman agreed, nodding his head.

"_So why exactly is this little place here anyway?"_ Allen asked curiously, glancing up as they walked up the steps.

"_People purify themselves here before visiting the Moon Cave."_

"It's sort of like…a custom to ensure that nothing bad follows you to the place and causes trouble or something, I think." Lavi offered when Allen tilted his head in question. "Or to keep from bad things happening to them, either. After all, according to that legend, a wickedly powerful demon used to call that place home. It stands to reason that a place like that might be a harbinger of evil spirits and other demons alike."

"I think I get it." Allen muttered after a moment. Walking into the shrine building, the scent of incense and candles wafted past. Inside stood a man wearing a gold kimono and a light blue hakama, a paper slip held underneath his cloth belt. On top of his head was a kanmuri with paper chains hanging down on either side of his face and in his hand he held a want with more of the paper dangling from it, pacing slightly in front of the small shrine behind him which was composed of a mirror and sakaki branches on either side of it.

"_Oh, dear me! Dear me! This is aweful!"_ He mumbled before stopping as he noticed the newcomers. _"Ah! Some most welcome guests have wandered into our shrine! Your timing is immaculate! I need to speak to you."_

"_Well that's funny, 'cause we sort of needed to talk to you."_ Lavi mused. _"But you can go first."_ The priest nodded his head as he gazed at them.

"_Well, outside is Lake Harami, Nippon's largest lake. In the middle of it, there was an old shrine called the Moon Cave."_

"_We've heard of it…actually that's what we wanted to talk to you about."_ Lenalee offered.

"_Ah, good! Then perhaps we can help each other."_ The man said before continuing. _"Well…I'm sure you can see for yourselves, but it's completely disappeared! Vanished into thin air! It enshrines the wicked demon that Nagi and Shiranui once defeated. It housed Tsukuyomi, the fabled sword that keeps the demon at bay. That demon…its name was…"_ He trailed off a moment, looking oddly distant before suddenly shaking his head. _"No! I'll be cursed if I say it!"_

"_We know the name of it."_ Lavi said.

"_Anyway, the point is, what on earth has happened to the shrine? It's guarded day and night by the Tao Master, Waka. On the one occasion he has to go back to the city, this happens! Oh dear…"_ the priest sighed, crossing his arms over his chest and looking flustered. _"Lately, there have been monsters haunting these parts as well. Those mischief-making monsters are the worst!"_ He fumed, flailing his arms slightly and nearly hitting one or two of the group with the wand in his hand. _"I expect this is their doing. Well…maybe not _this_ time but they still need to be dealt with. I've already prepared a wanted list for them."_ He said, walking over to the shrine behind him and picking up a scroll before returning with it.

"_Correct me if I'm wrong here, but isn't that a priests job, and aren't you a priest?"_ Lavi said with something of a lopsided grin.

"_Yes…well I've tried but they're slippery. Anyway, you should know them as soon as you lay eyes on them…the Gods will have marked them with a sign. However, they're very cautious. They only come out at night."_

"_So why exactly are you telling us?"_ Allen questioned. Not that he wasn't above helping but he wasn't sure why they'd apparently been picked.

"_Well, I was hoping that perhaps one of you might be able to help…or at least hang this up somewhere obvious so another brave soul can step forward and take the job."_ The priest said hopefully.

"_We might learn something about whatever happened with the Moon Cave, too."_ Lavi suggested. _"Besides, shouldn't be too much of a problem from what we've seen so far."_

"_Yeah, this is a pretty sweet job for us, too! I say we keep this list handy and take care of all those mischief-making monsters ourselves! I mean, we're gonna run into them whether we like it or not. So, we might as well collect the reward too!"_ Issun piped, causing Allen to sweatdrop and heave a sigh. _"So, let's give it a shot!"_

Allen gazed at the others for a moment, who seemed to more or less be in agreement before looking back to the priest.

"_I guess we'll take the job."_ Allen shrugged, taking the scroll from him.

"_Great! I look forward to your success."_ Stepping forward, Amaterasu snapped the scroll up from the teen's hand and let her Astral Pouch swallow it up, the priest now fixing his gaze on her with a thoughtful expression. _"You know, you really remind me of the Great Shiranui…you look exactly like the sacred statue in Kamiki. Let us pray the Great Shiranui is looking over you from on high."_

"_Actually-"_

"I think it might be best not to advertise," Lavi advised. "After all we don't know what kind of trouble that could get us into." Allen looked thoughtful for a moment before gazing down at Amaterasu, who merely wagged her tail at him, not seeming at all bothered.

"Guess maybe you're right."

"_Anyway, thank you for the information."_ Lavi said, offering a bow. Likewise the others did for the most part save for Kanda, who didn't seem to give a damn, before the group moved to be on its way.

"_May the God's protect you always!"_ The priest said after them.

'_You have no idea…'_ Allen couldn't help but think as he gazed over at Amaterasu, the wolf trotting just ahead of them. She seemed to have at least a small idea of where to head in general so it just seemed more logical to follow her…especially with his lousy sense of direction.

Leaving the building and heading down the steps, Allen gazed around before his eyes followed Amaterasu, who was heading further down the path towards the center of the lake.

"_So where are you going now?"_ he questioned, following her though not really sure exactly why…or where they would even end up.

"_Well, if we want to find out what happened to the Moon Cave, the best place to start would be-"_

Before Issun could finish both he and Amaterasu suddenly just vanished into thin air in the blink of an eye. Just gone. Allen instinctively tensed and the others behind him seemed to share this shock for the most part.

"Where did she go?" Bookman hummed in thought and his gaze travelled upwards to the top of the gray shrine gate, looking thoughtful.

"Perhaps this shrine is a gateway." He spoke after a moment.

"A gateway to where?"

"If you want that question answered, you'll just have to follow along, Moyashi-chan." Lavi quipped, walking past the teen.

"It's _Allen_ you red-headed pain in the neck!" The albino snapped even as he followed along. As he stepped under it there was a brief flash of white, the teen shielding his eyes before opening them again. They still seemed to be at the lake it seemed…but now the sky was overcast with heavy clouds thicker than most rainclouds the teen had ever seen, dark gray though no water fell. The path wound back and forth like a snake for several hundred feet with water on either side that was strangely and eerily calm despite the wind. Something about the breeze was ominous in its own right, chilling the teen to the bone in a manner that almost nothing before had.

At the end of the path, in the center of the lake stood a huge cave, the black clouds swirling in an upside-down vortex above the cave menacingly, and at the mouth of the cave there was a strange sort of purple light barely visible in the distance, a fine mist hanging in the air that seemed almost to slither by.

"I'm actually a little surprised that worked." Allen muttered, subconsciously drawing the cloak of Crown Clown around himself as if to ward off the soul-chilling breeze, his gray eyes sweeping up to the cave ahead of them. "Looks a little foreboding."

"I don't really like this place very much…" Lenalee more or less agreed, hugging her arms around herself. If Lavi was at all affected he didn't show it, and Kanda seemed to be on alert for some sort of attack or something, looking edgy and gripping the hilt of his katana.

"_Well we followed the path and passed under the shrine gate…so where the heck's the Moon Cave? It should be right here! It couldn't be that big ol' mountain over there, could it? Since when did that appear in the middle of Lake Harami? I'm pretty sure we would've seen it way earlier!"_ Issun yammered.

"_It probably does seem like the size of a mountain when you're the size of a bug."_ Lavi chuckled.

"_Bug? I am not! Get it right, it's Issun, ya got that! Issun, Issun, _Issun_!"_ The sprite fumed.

'_Leave it to Lavi to pick a fight,'_ Allen couldn't help but think with a small roll of his eyes.

"_Anyway, they say the Moon Cave is where Nagi slew the legendary beast, but that huge mountain is way too big for the Moon Cave I remember."_ It was at this point that Amaterasu started walking as well, also seeming to roll her golden eyes at Issun as he fumed about being called a bug and the rest of the little precession fell into step behind her as seemed to have become routine by this point.

Allen noticed a few misplaced crows flying circles above them almost as if expecting a meal or something, letting out a raucous croak as the group moved forward uneasily. As Allen gazed forward at the white wolf that seemed to more or less be in charge of where they were going, he couldn't help but notice her hackles were partially raised as if she was feeling it too and couldn't help but feel that was a really bad sign.

At first the path was merely sand and soil between the water before it became more of a worn path, probably travelled by many a person at some point or another.

As he gazed around, Allen noted that the clouds almost seemed to form an impassible dome save for the shrine gate behind them. As they neared the cave, the crows circling above like a small black cloud fluttered down onto dead trees on either side of the path, croaking at them as they watched the group through beady eyes.

"Does anyone else find it creepy that we're being watched like this?" Allen asked no one in particular.

"Che…it's just a bunch of stupid birds, Moyashi." Kanda scoffed.

"It's not just the birds…" Krory noted, having remained mostly silent for a majority of their trip through Shinshu Field. "Something about this whole place is off."

As they continued to walk, they noted what appeared to be the roofs of what had probably once been buildings, collapsed on the ground and laying broken in pieces. At last they reached the stone steps leading up to the cave entrance and Allen once again noted the strange purplish _thing_ writhing just at the entrance.

It appeared like a sort of haze with a multitude of light purple snakes slithering haphazardly, some fading to be replaced my more that worked their way to the edges and then vanished. Trotting forward, Amaterasu moved as if to cautiously move through it, ignoring the serpent tendrils wafting off but as soon as she came close to it, it fired off some sort of energy charge that sent her skidding back with a yelp of pain, energy like electricity crackling over her white and red pelt.

"_Youch! What the heck? There's some kinda barrier here!"_ Issun exclaimed.

"_That looked painful, too."_ Allen noted, wincing. _"Are you alright?"_

"_Yeah, I think so."_ Issun said as Amaterasu turned her head back to look at him. _"Never seen a barrier this powerful before thought. We'd be better off staying away from this thing. That's some evil power right there, I tell ya!"_

"_Well, at any rate, it seems that we found out what happened to the Moon Cave itself…getting into it however may prove more troublesome."_ Bookman noted.

"_Well, it's not like it's all that important right now…I say we worry about it later. That beast is already slain and that's that!"_ Bookman looked less convinced of this but stayed silent. _"Why don't we head back? We still have the rest of Shinshu Field to explore and this thing ain't goin' nowhere."_ The group more than readily nodded their agreement, ready to be away from this dark and chilling place. Amaterasu set off back down the path at a trot, the crows sitting in the trees taking to the air as the group headed back as if realizing they weren't going to be eating any of the newcomers and Allen couldn't help but feel a small chill at that.

'_Almost like they were waiting for us to get killed by something…'_ he couldn't help but think, glad that they were leaving. Something inside him was telling him to stay _far_ away from this place and he thought maybe it'd be best to listen.

He couldn't have been more relieved as they walked through the light that seemed to emanate from the shrine gate and shielded his eyes as they stepped through it and came back to Shinshu Field, suddenly feeling as though a weight had been lifted from his chest or something.

"I vote we don't go back there any time soon." Allen said aloud, receiving nods from both Lenalee and Krory, while Kanda merely issued a quiet 'che'.

Heading back up the path from the lake, they turned left as they reached the top of it and followed Amaterasu towards what appeared to be a small canal carved into the cliffs just ahead, thought the water was pretty low, even lower than the dock built up to the edge of it.

"_The ferry between Shinshu Field and Agata Forest docks here. The ferry used to run frequently, but…it's been out of service ever since the water level dropped."_ Issun explained as they walked past, noting a few small boats sitting on short, and they appeared to have been there for a while. Walking past it, Amaterasu Bloomed a patch of cursed grass but aside from a few cracks in the ground, there didn't seem to be anything worth seeing.

Turning back around, they followed the path back towards the bridge that ran over the river and turned down a weaving path that led back towards where they had started, and a small hut down the way, passing a few grazing horses that perked their ears at them before returning to grazing again.

Heading down towards the hut, they passed a small dirty area with what appeared to be targets, racks of training swords, and a few bamboo practice dummies that Allen couldn't help but note vaguely resembled Imps. The group dispatched a Devil Gate near the house, which cleared to create a pond, which Lavi was unfortunate to fall into and Kanda was unfortunate enough to get dragged down into. Though it gave Allen and Issun something to laugh at.

"Baka Usagi! Drag someone else in with you next time, like the fucking Moyashi!"

"Too bad that water didn't do anything to cool your tempter, BaKanda." Allen tossed flippantly as he crossed the small red bridge over the pond towards the hut.

"Moyashi!" Kanda snarled even as he wrung his hair out, practically seething. He managed to wipe the water from his face just in time for Lavi to shake his hair out and splatter him in the face, finally losing his temper and drawing Mugen, pointing it at the Junior Bookman threateningly with an incomprehensible growl.

"Whoa, take it easy there, Yuu-chan…" the redhead tried to placate before yelping and having to dodge for his life as Kanda swung his sword towards him.

"_There they go again…"_ Issun sweatdropped before gazing over at the building, a large wood sign with kanji beside the door. _"Huh? What a pretentious sign! Ammy, this here's a Dojo. It's where people come to learn sword fighting and martial arts. But who knows if they'll train you here…maybe if you're a good wolfy, they'll teach you a trick or two!"_

"_Can a wolf even learn sword fighting and martial arts?"_ Allen couldn't help but muse, automatically expecting the answer to be 'no'. His musings went unheeded as Amaterasu walked forward to enter the building. Inside was a small sand garden at the entrance with a few bamboo stalks at the edges of the room, and standing inside on a wood deck was a hunched over old man wearing a white kimono with flame patterns on it, accompanied by gray hakama, and standing with the use of a shinai bamboo fencing sword. His white hair was slicked down in the back, with the top bald, and a long mustache hanging down his bulbous chin.

"_Well, what do we have here? It looks like we have some foreign looking customers and an adorable lupine visitor. My name is Onigiri-sensei, and this is my dojo."_ The old man offered.

"Onigiri?" Allen repeated. "Does anyone else find it strange he's named after a rice ball?" He questioned, looking at the others who merely shrugged. _"What business could people such as yourselves and a wolf have at a dojo like this? Surely you haven't come to study the fighting arts with yours truly!"_

"_We're merely following the wolf."_ Lavi offered, directing towards Amaterasu, who wagged her tail at Onigiri-sensei, barking at him.

"_Ha ha, I like the cut of your jib, my furry friend. I'd very much like to wile away the hours at play with you, but I'm afraid that this place is far too dangerous for creatures like you."_ Allen couldn't help but think he couldn't be more wrong while Lavi wore a stupid grin on his face. Before the man continued and said something that really caught him off guard. _"That is, of course, unless you can cover the training fee…"_

"_Well of course we can, pops!" _Issun quipped, hopping atop Amaterasu's head.

"_Oh? A bug?"_ Allen mentally counted down the seconds before(once again)…

"_I am not a bug! I'm Issun! Issun, dagnabbit!"_

"_Well…my apologies…but if you really have the cash, then I'm willing to train you or your furry friend here…or any of you for that matter."_ He said, gazing over at Allen's group while Amaterasu dug around in her Astral Pouch, producing a pile of yen that she dropped in front of him. He gazed at it for a moment stupidly before back to Amaterasu. _"I'll be a monkey's uncle! You've got the cash, have you?"_

"_Duh! That's what we've been saying!"_ Issun barked.

"_I see…well then, I suppose I have no choice. I'll do as you wish and allow you to enroll in my dojo. Aaaaah…"_ He said before he made an odd face. _"OOOOH!"_

Allen blinked as the hunched over old man straightened up and his head almost seemed to spin around so that his bulbous chin was now where his forehead should be and the long mustache became a huge horseshoe shaped unibrow, and his eyebrows became a mustache. And somehow it still came out looking like a face…

'_Does nothing around here make sense?'_ the teen couldn't help but wonder to himself.

"_Waaahh…are you mentally prepared to handle the ultimate challenge?"_ He demanded in an above-serious tone, which had suddenly become deeper, Allen noticed. _"Step inside to test your might…"_ He said before the doors behind him slid open.

"_This is actually kinda exciting…c'mon Ammy!"_ Issun piped, the wolf yipping her agreement and galloping inside.

* * *

"That was weird…" Allen couldn't help but comment as he and the others followed Amaterasu out of the dojo, shaking his head.

"Well it was entertaining anyway…" Lavi mused, before gazing over at Kanda. "Especially the part about Yuu-chan getting lectured for his bad form…guess you're not as good as you thought you were, Yuu-chan."

"Shut the fuck up!" The swordsman snarled, narrowing his eyes. "I don't have to take some instruction from a putz that doesn't know what he's talking about!"

"You shouldn't talk about yourself that way, BaKanda." Allen said in a chastising tone, though the look he wore was decidedly smug.

"Shut it, Moyashi!" Kanda snarled. They couldn't help but notice it was just past sunset and Allen found that he felt really tired, as well as hungry. They hadn't eaten in at least a day and he was suddenly missing Jerry's cooking.

"_So, seems we've seen all there is to see here."_ Lavi noted.

"_Not quite. We still have to go see if that house is open now, maybe even get a look at some fireworks if we're real lucky!"_ Issun piped. They dispelled another Devil Gate below their current path before deciding to head in that direction passing Ida on the way as the man blazed past them at lightning speed.

"_You'd think the devil was on his tail or something,"_ Lavi said with a smirk as he watched the man in blue running down the hill at full tilt, with no sign of even being winded.

"_Yeah, he's always like that. He takes his job mega-seriously."_ Issun shrugged, leaning comfortably against one of Amaterasu's ears with his arms folded behind his head and legs crossed. Crossing the bridge over the river again and then the other sloped bridge down towards the pyrotechnist's house, this time they noted that it wasn't all boarded up as it had been before.

The white wolf curiously poked her head in and noticed a man sitting on the floor inside, muttering something like, _"No, no. Maybe like this? That's not working. Maybe like that?"_, as he huffed away at a long smoking pipe. The room itself had strings of firecrackers hanging from the ceiling as well as various things that looked to be paper bombs laying around the room, with an odd pit in the center and a sort of chimney above it, and a huge drawing on one wall that was composed of circles with swirls inside them and an enormous circle and line around those, that looked sort of like an upside-down 'Q'.

Allen and the others followed along but Allen stopped short of actually looking inside.

"I don't want to be rude or anything…"

Kanda shook his head. "Idiot."

"_No, no, no! That can't be right…it shouldn't be doing that…"_ the man inside grumbled, fiddling with something before growling again in frustration. _"No, no, no! I checked and double-checked the formula! No, that's not right either!"_

"_Hey! You there, got a minute?"_ Issun piped. The man noticed them for the first time as he swivled around.

"_Hm? Whao, what's this little wisp doing here?"_

'_Well he didn't call him a bug…'_ Allen noted wryly.

"_Hey, who you calling a wisp! I'm Issun the Wandering Artist!"_ the sprite fumed.

'_Guess that didn't make much difference…'_ the white-haired teen sweatdropped.

"_Well, well, well. You're a little ball of fire, aren't you? I'm Tama. Tama the flaming pyrotechnist! That's what they call me."_ He introduced. He was a middle-aged man with a skinny face that had very visible cheek bones and shoulder-length black hair, spectacles resting on the bridge of his nose. A hat that resembled the paper bombs scattered around the room, a fuse sizzling on top of it, sat on his head while he wore a brown kimono, yellow markings like blooming fireworks decorating it, his arm and upper torso hanging out of it, exposed, and a dark green obi around his waist. Sitting cross-legged on the ground, he smoked a long red pipe that sent donuts of smoke up into the air.

Still not entirely certain what to do, Allen stepped closer, since it seemed the man didn't really mind them coming inside at this point.

"_Um, excuse me. Were you trying to make something just now?"_ Having heard the man's grumblings the white-haired teen had to admit he was a tiny bit curious as to what was going on.

"_I'm just about to set of a hum-dinger of a doozy!"_ he said, gazing at Allen at this point. _"Take a look at the formula I posted on the wall there. My whole career as a pyrotechnist has led me to that formula, friends. It's for a little firework I've dubbed 'Midnight Wonder Boy'! There's only one problem…even though I know the formula is sound, it's not working right yet."_ He sighed, shaking his head.

Allen's gaze shifted in the direction that the man had gestured toward, his gaze briefly going over the formula. Then he shifted his attention back to Tama. _"But…if you know that everything is right then why isn't it working?"_

"_Like that's important,"_ Kanda said with a sneer, seemingly irritated over the entire situation. Not that this was anything out of the ordinary for the rather temperamental samurai.

"_But it is important! This is what I've devoted my life to!"_ Tama protested. _"A lot of people like my fireworks and pay good money for them you know, but I have to come up with new and outstanding fireworks, not just for me but for all future pyrotechnists!"_ The only response Kanda gave was an irate 'che'. Falling silent, Tama smoked at his pipe in thought for several moments before springing up with a determined fire in his own eyes.

"_I know! Listen pup. And you there…"_ he said, gesturing towards Kanda, who in turn glared in the man's direction. _"You've got good eyes. Fiery eyes…smoldering eyes…maybe your red hot glare is just what I need to set this off! Feast your eyes on the greatest display the world has ever seen!"_

"Looks like your assistance is needed, Yuu-chan~" Lavi jibed good-naturedly.

"Che," Kanda snapped, instantly turning and walking away. "Like I'd take part in this stupidity."

"That was just rude, BaKanda." Allen called out as the samurai seemingly abandoned them. Then he turned his attention back to Tama. _"Sorry about him, he's a bit on the anti-social side. I guess you're going to have to find some other solution or something."_ Not that he saw how looking at something would work to set off a firework.

"_Hm…well perhaps the pup here will suffice…"_ Tama thought aloud as Amaterasu examined the formula posted on the wall.

"_Hey, Ammy, that's one of the brush techniques…I'm sure of it! Maybe we can be of some help after all."_ The sprite whispered.

"_So, you up to it, pooch?"_ Tama questioned, idly holding the pipe just short of his lips as he gazed at the white wolf. She barked her agreement and wagged her tail, causing a smile to cross Tama's face.

"_Excellent! I like that fire!"_ He said, standing up at this point. _"Well, here goes nothing! The brightest constellation in the sky – the Midnight Wonder Boy!"_ he said, blowing a large cloud of smoke from his pipe before swinging his arms through the air. Allen couldn't help but think it sort of looked like an angry monkey flailing around or something and couldn't help but take a step back…just in case. Tama muttered something incomprehensible before producing several paper bombs from inside his obi sash, throwing them into the pit at the center of the room, next taking his smoking pipe and tossed in with the small bombs. _"Fire in the hole!"_

Amaterasu flicked her tail – drawing the same circle and dash from it as on the formula - and a large bomb materialized just before the smaller bombs exploded and sent it shooting up through the round chimney shoot just above it.

"_C'mon, Ammy! Hurry! Before we miss 'em!"_ Taking the sprite's advice, the she-wolf galloped past the others and outside just as the fireworks ignited in the sky, making the shape of a bug, a deer, and a butterfly. Deciding that it would be best to exit before the crazy man managed to make the entire place explode, Allen rushed outside mere seconds behind Amaterasu, the others behind him, glancing up quickly in time to watch the fireworks explode.

"_Holy smoke! That Tama may have a few screws loose but boy can he deliver!"_ Issun quipped as Amaterasu jumped up and pawed the air, tail wagging as she sat down with an elated whine.

"_Guess it worked that time…"_ Allen commented to himself.

"_Heh heh…you can thank furball here for that little boost!"_ Issun returned smugly. A sparkling beam of starlight lit up the air as the fireworks finished and drew their attention to it. _"Hm? That light again…oh, it's another constellation, Ammy!"_ Issun piped before several stars seemed to spring into existence in the sky, vaguely resembling an upside-down '2'. Using her Celestial Brush, the goddess caused two more stars to appear to complete the formation and, after a few seconds, the constellation burst into bright light and became the shape of a large white and red boar not unlike Amaterasu with feather-like appendages on its shoulders and heels. It squealed as it appeared and rolled down balanced on top of a paper bomb exactly like the one that Amaterasu had caused to appear before, followed by four white and red piglets carrying candle sticks in their snouts. The sky turned to a golden color and clouds wafted past, mountain peaks poking up from the clouds all around them in the distance. Screeching to a halt, one of the piglets ran into the bomb and set the fuse alight, the larger boar squealing in alarm and using his nose to huff it out of existence before the bomb could explode.

Once it had been put out the boar turned around on the bomb, the four piglets standing at attention, two on either side.

Allen's eyes widened as he witnessed this rather odd occurrence but he recalled the previous brush god…that ape that had appeared toting a shou. The boar examined the group for a moment before its dark eyes landed on Amaterasu, who had sat down by this point.

"_Ah…Amaterasu. Origin of all that is good and mother to us all... Too often, it is easy to forget that which we cannot see. Hidden away, I had lost track of you. But now my soul is at ease. I, Bakugami, god of explosive force, lend my power to your cause. Use the Cherry Bomb to lay waste to foes and obstacles alike!__"_ the boar spoke in a deep and powerful voice. The candle sticks of each piglet, that had gone out previously, burst to life and the boar seemed to notice them dangerously close and squealed in alarm, losing his balance so the Cherry Bomb rolled under it. The piglets followed until one bumped into it and this time it really did go off, the piglets and boar becoming an orb of light with a kanji at the center that rolled across the sky to Amaterasu and disappeared inside her in a flash of light.

The sky around them grew bright white to a degree that was blinding until they blinked their eyes open to give way to dark night sky, the group once again finding themselves on the ground as they came back to awareness. Sitting up, the scenery of Shinshu Field and Tama's house were still around them.

"Un…" Allen groaned, shaking his head. "Why do things like this always happen?"

"Because you're a magnet for trouble Moyashi," Kanda growled, seemingly even more annoyed then before. The samurai quickly got to his feet, not wishing to appear weak for any length of time.

"I wasn't asking _you_ BaKanda." Allen snapped at the swordsman.

"_Al-right! Another brush god in the bag!"_ Issun all but cheered before stopping. _"That was Bakugami, the god of explosions. His technique is called Cherry Bomb. Tama's enthusiasm must've awakened the god's power in you! Hm? Ah!"_ Allen jumped and followed Issun's and Amaterasu's gaze to a group of Imps not far off that noticed them after a moment as well with a screech of surprise.

One that was most notable was a red Imp with a long arrow shaft sticking out of its back just above its rump. The feathers on the end seemed to glow faintly and there were two paper chains dangling from it, with a bell and two tassels, what seemed to almost be confetti bits of energy flying around it.

"_What's with this monster? It's got an Exorcising Arrow stuck in it! Exorcising Arrows are sacred relics for driving away evil. That means somebody really wanted to get rid of this monster!"_ Issun said, hopping along on top of Amaterasu's head.

"_How much you want to bet it was one of those monsters the priest mentioned?"_ Lavi said, drawing his hammer and grasping it with both hands as it abruptly grew in size.

"_Well either way, it's going down. C'mon Ammy! Finish it off! Don't let it get away!"_ Amaterasu dropped into a fighting crouch and snarled, ready for battle.

"_**Hehehehehe! You think you can?**__"_ A crackly voice taunted, catching everyone off-guard. _"__**A measly dog like you and his flea?**__"_ It took a moment but they realized that the thing that was talking to them was actually the red Imp in front of them with the exorcising arrow in it.

"_Flea?"_ Issun yelped indignantly, his aura turning red. _"I'm not a flea you no good monster! And furball here is a _she-wolf_, ya got that?"_

"What the…"

"It talks!" Lavi exclaimed.

"_**Just what jibberish are you blabbing over there? Well…it isn't important…you pitiful mortals and dog can't hope to be any good against Izo the String Cutter! All of you are going to die he-**__"_ Before it could get any further, Kanda lunged forward with a growl, activating Nigentou in midair before coming down to cleave through the Imp. Granted it raised its weapon but that was just cut clean through and the Imp leapt back in surprise.

"_Shut the Hell up and just die already!"_

"_**Y-you can't interrupt Izo the String Cutter when he's monologueing! Have you no shame?**__"_

"_No, no he really doesn't."_ Allen muttered, shaking his head, his own Innocence having been activated by this point. For all the talk, this demon really didn't seem all that strong or anything…just full of itself. He knew that this thing was supposed to be a demon but…for some reason he actually felt the smallest bit of hesitation at attacking it. Up until this point the only thing he'd heard from these things were monkey-like screeches and howls and never even imagined they could actually _talk_.

"_**You two! Get them!**__" _The red Imp snarled at the two smaller Imps beside him. The demons looked hesitant before screeching and lunging forward with snarls, intent on attacking Kanda but they fell in mere seconds before his gaze shifted to the red Imp that was…running away.

"_Get your ass back here!"_ Kanda snarled, both him and Amaterasu rushing forward.

"_C'mon Ammy, just think about that reward!"_ Before Izo could make it very far a bomb materialized in front of him and blew up, the demon letting out a screech before collapsing, bursting into a bloomed flower. Kanda looked pissed that he hadn't gotten to end its miserable life but Issun seemed more or less elated.

"_Good work! That was definitely one of those monsters from the wanted poster the priest gave us! And he just happened to bump right into us! Boy, you never know what you'll find next!"_ He gushed. _"Let's cross him off our list since he's all gone."_ Amaterasu dug around in her Astral Pouch before pulling the scroll out with her jaws and laying it out, using her Celestial Brush to cross off one of the five named written in Japanese. For his part Allen wasn't sure what to think of the demon that they had just faced but he figured it was much akin to the Akuma as far as having to destroy them went. _"Anyway, that's one less monster! Hopefully it won't be long before you can cross them all out. Once we've defeated all of them, we should go see the priest. Maybe he'll even give us a reward!"_

"_That might be a little presumptuous."_ Lavi couldn't help but toss out there.

"_Ah well…even if not we can't let some no good monsters go running around anyways. It's our job to take care of stuff like that after all! Well…furball's job anyway."_ He said, the she-wolf appearing to roll her golden eyes at him slightly. _"Anyway, I think we've seen all there is to see here in Shinshu Field. We should go check on Sakuya in Kamiki Village and make sure she's feeling better."_ He said before gazing up at the sky silently in thought for a few moments. _"On second thought…I'm sure she can wait until morning. It's already getting kinda late after all."_ As if to emphasize this fact, Amaterasu yawned and shook herself.

The wolf's yawn proved contagious and Allen covered his mouth to stifle a yawn of his own. Suddenly it seemed as though the fatigue from earlier battles set in and the teen realized just how exhausted he was. He turned to his companions as he posed the question, _"So where exactly are we going to spend the night?"_

"_Y'got me, I don't think there are any nearby inn's or anything."_ Lavi shrugged, scratching his head. _"And I don't know how dangerous it'd be to sleep out here. Though it shouldn't be too dangerous if we take turns watching or something."_ He suggested, Amaterasu looking between them as they talked.

Allen nodded, looking just a tiny bit dejected. "I guess if there aren't any other options then we don't really have a choice." It was always more difficult to get a decent night's sleep when they had to sleep in an exposed area but of course the threat of Akuma and now these other demon's was always around.

"_We could always sleep under the Guardian Sapling. At least there the monster's will be more repelled."_ Issun pointed out. _"C'mon Ammy, I'm bushed."_ Amaterasu shook herself and seemed more or less in agreement before trotting back up the wood walkway towards the guardian cherry tree. With a shrug of his shoulders Allen fell into step behind her, gazing back at the rest of the group.

"We may as well follow…not like we have a better plan." Lavi folded his arms behind his head as he nodded and fell into step behind them, the others quick to do so as well without much complaint. When they reached the tree Amaterasu yawned and curled up against one of the large roots extending into the ground while the others found more or less comfortable positions around it to rest as well.

"Why don't you guys rest? I'll take first watch." Lavi suggested, not being as tired himself. And the fact that he needed some time to sort out his thoughts.

"Have it your way, Baka Usagi," Kanda said, settling himself as far away from the others as he could get.

"Are you sure, Lavi?" Allen questioned, tired but not wanting to be selfish.

"Sure, 'sides, I probably have less of a chance of falling asleep right now than you." The redhead pointed out. "And plus I'm gonna end up having to write down a report on this, might as well get it out of the way now instead of getting swamped later." After all Bookman would want it in the records and recorded down to a tee of information.

"Alright," Allen said, settling himself on the grass. "Just wake me up when you want me to take over watch, okay?"

"Sure thing," Lavi assured. Allen nodded, closing his eyes and allowing sleep to claim him.

* * *

Lavi had spent some time working on the day's records and reports, and simultaneously keeping watch. Nothing attacked them and the night was rather calm and peaceful. After a few hours, and nearly nodding off, Lavi yawned and stretched his arms over his head, hopping up and making his way toward Allen.

"Hey, Moyashi-chan. Your turn to take watch." He coaxed, nudging the boy with his foot. He didn't really notice Amaterasu silently watching, awake from her sleeping place.

"It's Allen," the teen muttered, wiping at his eyes with the back of one hand as he groggily pulled himself into a sitting position. It took a couple of minutes for him to rouse himself to full alertness but once he managed he turned gray eyes to Lavi. "I've got it…go ahead and get some rest."

"Already planning on it. 'night, buddy." Lavi replied, making himself comfortable. He was out a lot faster than it took Allen to wake up.

Said white-haired teen moved a short distance from the others, not wanting to disturb them. Sitting down on the grass he kept his senses alert for any kind of danger but at the same time he couldn't seem to keep his thoughts from wandering.

It seemed peaceful enough save for the few demons that had been lurking about but the teen couldn't help but feel as though there was something far, far worse to come, pulling his legs up towards his chest loosely.

Amaterasu quirked her ears curiously before she stretched and rose to her paws, padding over to him near-silently. She uttered a slight whine of confusion as she appeared at his side and tilted her head, her intelligent golden eyes meeting silver.

"_Sorry if I disturbed you…"_ Allen said in a quiet voice, speaking to the wolf as he would anyone else. He glanced over at her, locking gazes with Amaterasu for a moment before continuing. _"Just thinking about a lot of things…."_

Amaterasu tilted her head to the side and it seemed almost as if her eyes were speaking to him in the way that she couldn't with words, seeming to say _'Like what?'_

"_Well there's the fact that we were supposed to come here looking for this Divine Instrument thing that you have and bring it back, which we really can't do as far as I can see. Plus it seems like things just get more and more complicated the longer time drags on. And besides just that, it feels as though I'm continuously struggling to save people around me and end this war that I'm caught up in but in the end I can do next to nothing most of the time, among a laundry list of other things that I'm not even going to go into."_ He said, shaking his head. And the parts he wasn't going to go into were the fact that he might one day disappear and the 14th Noah would take over his body, and that he might end up killing someone he cared about, which was a thought that scared him most of all. _"Plus a lot doesn't seem to make sense right now but any answers I get just lead to more and more endless questions…not to mention this whole 'brush gods' business…"_

Amaterasu sniffed and nuzzled his shoulder, giving him a look as though to say, _'don't worry too much about it.'_ Despite her animal features, Allen couldn't help but notice just how clear and expressive she was just by her expressions and the look in her wise golden eyes. He was also somewhat comforted by the wolf's muzzle pressed against his shoulder and he offered Amaterasu a genuine smile, rather than the fake ones he often put on to fool everyone into thinking everything was alright.

"_I guess there's really no point in worrying about things you can't change, is there?"_ Amaterasu yipped quietly in agreement, tail wagging before a slight grumble drew her attention to her tiny sprite companion.

"…_oh yeah…now that's what I call stacked…"_ Issun sleep-talked. Amaterasu flattened her ears in an obvious gesture that she really didn't want to know, while for his part Allen grimaced slightly at the mumbled words of Issun.

"_That's…a little disturbing."_

Amaterasu sniffed her agreement and gave him a look that very clearly told him, _'now you see what I have to deal with.'_

"_Must take some willpower not to squish him at times,"_ Allen said, his gaze shifting from the tiny, sleeping form of Issun and once again locking onto Amaterasu's expressive eyes.

'_At times.'_ Her gaze read as she seemed to almost smirk wolfishly.

"_I know the feeling,"_ Allen said conversationally. _"Comrade or not there are a few people that I've wanted to hit a time or two…"_ At this point his gaze absently shifted to Kanda for the briefest of moments before returning once again to Amaterasu. The goddess in wolf form seemed to huff in canine laughter as she followed his gaze.

'_He isn't so bad…'_ Allen merely shrugged his shoulders before falling silent. He wasn't really sure what made him rant off his thoughts to Amaterasu since he always seemed to hide these things from everyone…maybe it was partially because she was an animal. He had always had a liking for them more than people since they typically accepted without judgment, whereas people had demonized him for being different as a child, because of his deformed left arm. Admittedly though, he did feel a bit better now and Amaterasu's presence was a soothing one.

After a moment Amaterasu yawned and curled up against Allen's side, resting her head next to his thigh on top of her paws and the teen absently found himself stroking one of her ears, and being careful not to disturb Issun.

'_Well, for now, at least it's a quiet night.'_

* * *

**Author's Note(2):** Meh…I have nothing to say. It's 3:25 in the morning, I really should be asleep…but I'm not even the tiniest bit tired. It'll come back to haunt me, I just know it. But anyway, hope you enjoyed the chapter for those who still read this story. Laters~!

~THE PsyKou, BWUAHAHA

Next Chapter: Guardian Roots


	12. AN: Notice

**A/N:** Hey all my loyal readers. I regret to tell you guys that I won't be working on any of my fanfictions for some time, as I'm very busy with college classes, work, and the part that some of you might be most interested in, a book that I hope to publish this summer. I'm sure if you have me on your watch lists and read my works already, then you may be very much interested in this bit of information.

If you aren't, feel free to ignore this. If you are though, I've already written three completed chapters and am working on more as the day's go by. You can find it on Fictionpress, my account name being the same as on here(Bamboofoxfire Productions, I've changed it recently from my old one listed on my fanfictions you might notice)

Anyway, the book I'm working on is called The Crow's Nest. Look forward to hearing from some of you and would love any and all constructive criticism, critique's, or just regular old compliments and comments.

Please and Thankyou! And sorry that I can't update the fanfictions you've all come to love. I'll probably get back to them eventually, but for now my focus is on other things that I really need to get done.

~The Great Me


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